UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has given his approval to a plan that would have all UK casinos reopening by August 1, with plenty of new social distancing guidelines. The plan, however, is a day late and a dollar short for plenty of casino employees who are now on permanent furlough.
Johnson’s plan, which actually applies to casinos and bowling alleys, calls for an emphasis on personal use of items such as casino chips and bowling balls, that were once used communally. For casinos, that means that chips must be sanitized after each use and players will mostly play with their own chips. (Of course that only works to a point, but everyone is willing to give this plan their best shot.)
Under the new plan, table game and blackjack players will be separated by plastic screens. It’s a plan that’s neither ideal nor cheap. In an interview with the BBC, Jonathon Swaine, the managing director of venues at Grosvenor Casinos pointed out some of the new challenges saying, “The screens, the sanitiser, the additional measures that we’ve put in place have all been significant investments. But we clearly think it’s the right thing to do to reassure our customers.”
He also points out that being able to only open at half capacity might not be a challenge for venues as large as the ones he manages. “We’re lucky with our casinos that, even with 50% capacity, generally our casinos are very spacious venues. We don’t have the problems that pubs have.”
Of course those employees who actually get to return to work at all are the lucky ones. About 1,600 Genting UK employees may not return from furlough at all as the company adjusts to the new realities of doing business.