As California COVID cases spike, tribal casinos still plan New Year s Eve parties
Sacramento Bee 12/30/2020 Sam Stanton, The Sacramento Bee
Dec. 30 As California officials brace for a post-holiday surge of COVID-19 cases, tribal casinos are planning for New Year s Eve celebrations that are expected to pack in thousands of revelers and gamblers.
Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln is planning an invitation-only event for 6,000 customers, and Cache Creek Casino Resort is closing to the public for a private event through 6 a.m. on Jan. 1.
Others appear to be planning for business-as-usual during the pandemic, with masks and temperature checks required along with social distancing and increased cleaning practices.
We re doing our best.Â
That s what I think a lot these days, walking into a restaurant and seeing servers in masks and face shields commanding the room. I think it when I m sitting in the car, opening a container of spicy scallop sushi and using the armrest as a table for my wasabi soy sauce. I think it at home on my computer when a chef calls me to cry, and I can only offer the same bland acknowledgment: We re doing our best. Hang in there. Â
But sometimes our best is pretty, freakishly amazing, you know? I say freakishly because how else do you describe ramen noodles topped with fried chicken, eaten on a bench in a random parking lot next to the Youth on Their Own building? It s freakishly amazing, that s what it is. And yes I m saying this out loud while I m writing it. Because I m doing my best too.Â
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Even in a year where so much has changed due to the pandemic, traditions abound. While some of these traditions may not take place in the same way due to safety measures to protect the public, others will continue with special precautions.
In the South, Santa practices his trek down the chimney by rappelling off a mountain side conveniently shaped like a chimney. In Tennessee, a NASCAR speedway becomes a holiday track lit with an array of brilliant colors. Pontoon boats, fishing trawlers and sailboats twinkle with lights down a Mississippi bayou. The night before Christmas towering bonfires roar to life along the banks of the Mississippi River giving Santa a well-lit path to this small corner of southeast Louisiana.
Tareef Talala, owner of The Village, a restaurant and sports bar in downtown Palm Springs, was forced to stop offering in-person dining this month when the state issued stay-at-home orders.
So when he stopped by to check out the scene at the Morongo Casino, Resort and Spa in Cabazon, it was a jolt to see some of his regular customers enjoying a night out just 20 miles up the road. The tribal casino s indoor restaurants and bars are open alongside its gambling options. I care about COVID-19, I care about disease, Talala said. But how can we control it if people are going there, then coming back out?