Casinos reopen in Atlantic City, but things are barely back to normal

Across the U.S, the COVID-19 cases have started to spike and hit the record highs in many states, Florida alone reported more than 10,000 new cases in 24 hours, a new record for the country. Many turbulent events that have been happening across the U.S, have to lead to the unlikely increase in the cases in the country where the virus was supposed to be on the decline by now. This is not all the states of course as some are almost fully back to their normal day today.

In Atlanta, the casinos have started to open up gradually but it’s not like it used to be. Everyone inside, including the waiters, dancers, dealers, and of course the customers have to wear face-covering at all times and have to maintain the social distancing rules even when playing. As wearing the masks is compulsory, gambling lovers can’t dine and drink as they used to at the casinos. These gambling facilities have stopped accepting orders for food and drinks and it has boiled down to simply enjoying the games and watching the beautiful dancers, who are still part of the experience. They usually match their face makes to their striking outfits and make it feel somewhat normal.

This is a decision that wasn’t easy to make for the Atlanta governance and it is a double-edged sword. While reopening was an inevitable move, especially for those areas where the majority of the services stayed fully down for months on end, it is clear that the new normal might last a little longer than we were anticipating.

Wearing masks while gambling and not being able to order any drinks at the casino might ruin the experience for many, ut for those who love the atmosphere and those who depend on casinos for their employment this is an essential step. With the reopening, the risks of infection rates rising again are quite high, but it was evident to everyone at Atlanta local government that the reopening really had no other alternative as people were in dire need of income as well as their traditional socializing events and places.

Atlanta might be an exception though since many states have now paused heir reopening schemes since the virus has spread even quicker and wider across the states over the past few weeks, endangering all the progress that the local authorities, as well as medical experts, have made over the course of the pandemic.

The epidemiologists are cautioning against reopening too quickly, but as long as all the social distancing measures and overall safety regulations are observed the reopening should be quite harmless, especially when considering that people need their jobs and income as well as spaces outside their homes to interact with each other. As we’ve heard many times before the best way to approach this is to learn how to live with the new coronavirus and to take the necessary steps to make sure we avoid the second wave while returning back to normal life, even if partially, as it seems to be the case in casinos.