ONAMIA, Minn. and HINCKLEY, Minn. – Grand Casino announced a voluntary, temporary closure of casino operations at Grand Casino Mille Lacs and Grand Casino Hinckley starting at 4 p.m. on March 16 to help fight the spread of COVID-19. The initial plan is for a 14-day closure, but conditions will be reassessed before a firm reopen date is announced. While there have been no reported cases of COVID-19 at either property, Grand Casino sees this as a responsible, proactive decision that places the wellbeing of its Associates, Guests, and local communities at the forefront.
While the casinos are closing to the public, Grand Casino plans to leverage its resources to continue to serve the community. As a part of Mille Lacs Corporate Ventures’ Adopt- a-School program, the casinos will provide lunch to students in need who attend public schools in Onamia, Isle, Hinckley-Finlayson, McGregor, and Nay Ah Shing lower and upper schools. In addition, the casinos will help the Mille Lacs Band community.
Since the coronavirus threat began, Grand Casino has implemented rigorous CDC- recommended protocols, including increased daily cleaning regimens at both facilities, putting practices into place to safeguard its Associates by offering up to 14 days paid sick time, cancelling or postponing events, and temporarily shutting down venues, just to name a few. For a full list of preventative measures the casino has taken, please click here.
“We developed a cross-functional COVID-19 preparedness team that meets regularly. The team has evaluated preparedness and increased measures to protect our Associates, Guests and communities,” said Joe Nayquonabe, CEO of Mille Lacs Corporate Ventures, the parent company that owns Grand Casinos. “Since Governor Walz’s announcement, we have reflected on the leadership that businesses like ours must demonstrate during a time like this and decided to temporarily close our casino operations in order to keep that protection in place.”
During the temporary closure, the casinos will continue to pay both salaried and hourly positions. Both properties will also undergo an intense cleaning process to further protect Guests and Associates upon reopening.
“We look forward to welcoming our valued Guests and Associates back,” Nayquonabe continued. “We thank our Associates for all their hard work and our Guests for their continued support during this uncharted time. The wellbeing of our Guests, Associates, and communities is a paramount concern and we are confident this temporary closure is in their best interests.”
Guests can stay up to date with information about Grand Casino’s happenings when the doors reopen on www.grandcasinomn.com and the casino’s Facebook page.