Casinos across province closed including Casino Lethbridge
By Bobinec, Greg on March 18, 2020.
Casino Lethbridge operators had already announced the closure of the facility Tuesday before the province enacted new public health measures. Herald photo by Ian Martens @IMartensHeraldGreg Bobinec
Lethbridge Herald
As community facilities and organizations across the province are forced to close for social distancing to reduce the spread of COVID-19, some businesses are taking the proactive step and closing down.
Pure Casinos Alberta issued a statement Tuesday morning on how they will be closing their doors to all of their casinos across the province, to protect the public and their team of workers from the virus.
“Over recent weeks, we have seen and felt the impact that the global spread of COVID-19 has had on us all,” says Vince Pao, executive director of marketing. “Pure Casinos has been closely and carefully monitoring the developments and have been strictly following the advice and direction provided by Alberta Health Services and provincial leadership. The health and safety of our Pure Casinos guests, team members and communities will continue to be our top priority and as such, we can no longer stand idly by and we have made the responsible decision to take the precautionary and proactive measures to close all of our casinos in Alberta.”
The closure was effective as of Tuesday and although the provincial government had not previously issued a direct closure to casinos, Pure Casino felt it was the right decision in supporting isolation and social distancing at the time.
“This closure notice becomes effective immediately,” says Pao. “Although the province has not yet directed the closure of casino facilities, we feel it is the right decision to make in order to recognize the current circumstances we face and to ensure the safety of all guests and teams. We anticipate this closure will be until further notice, but we promise to provide consistent updates as information becomes available.”
By closing their facilities, Pure Casinos is protecting over 1,000 employees from the spread of infection, but will be leaving many of their employees out of work during the closure. Pao says they are sensitive to the implications that a closure has on their teams and will continue to support them through this time.
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