TAMPA, Fla. — The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tampa reopened after shutting down for weeks due to coronavirus concerns.
All Seminole casinos in Florida closed on March 20 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
According to a press release, the casino will operate under a stringent "Safe and Sound" program.
Those guidelines include:
- Temperature checks for all guests and team members prior to entry. Any guest or team member with a temperature above CDC guidelines will not be allowed entry.
- A requirement that all guests wear masks or cloth face coverings that meet CDC guidelines, without exception. Masks will be provided to guests, as needed.
- Thousands of alternating slot machines will be turned off, to help ensure social distancing on the casino floor.
- New Plexiglas barriers will divide players at table games, poker games and customer service areas.
- 850 signs will be posted throughout the complex to encourage social distancing and help ensure adherence to Safe and Sound Program guidelines.
- More than 100 team members will be part of a new “Safe and Sound Clean Team” to focus on cleaning and disinfecting surfaces throughout the complex, with special emphasis on high-touch surfaces and common areas.
- Hand-sanitizing stations will be available on the casino floor, at the entrances and throughout the resort.
- Constant purification and disinfecting of the air flowing into the complex through the AtmosAir™ bipolar ionization system designed to destroy virus particles in the air and on surfaces.
- An overall 50 percent reduction in guest capacity throughout the resort.
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The Hard Rock Cafe and Rise Kitchen & Deli will be open with social distancing requirements in place. Of the 800 guestrooms at the hotel, 200 will be available at the opening.
The Seminole Hard Rock Event Center will remain closed until further notice and no events will take place at the pool complex.
“Hard Rock and Seminole Gaming have made a tremendous commitment to sanitary protocols and a safety-first mentality for both guests and team members,” said Jim Allen, CEO of Seminole Gaming and Chairman of Hard Rock International. “We are making sure our resorts are safe and sound so our guests and team members have peace of mind when they return.”
The Tampa location is the first of six Seminole Gaming casinos in the state to reopen. Opening dates for the other locations have not been confirmed, according to the press release.
