Ontario Casinos Close in Light of Omicron Spread
Ontario’s casinos are closed again as the Omicron COVID-19 variant starts spreading more quickly.
Doug Ford, Ontario’s Premier, warned the residents of Canada’s highest populated province upon a “tsunami” of new virus cases.
Ford further stated that public health experts expect to see hundreds of thousands of new Omicron cases daily. Additionally, with approximately 1% of cases ending up hospitalised, the surge can overload the healthcare system.
This is why Ford decided to reinforce restrictions for nonessential businesses, including the obligatory shutdown of casino operations. Twenty-eight land-based casino operators are affected by the Premier’s decision.
The suspension of 28 casinos has brought layoffs for thousands of hospitality and casino employees. However, Doug Ford says that the decision for closure of casinos and indoor dining, gyms, and movie theatres was carefully thought through, considering the impact on employees and their families.
Furthermore, the Premier reassures Ontarians that life will get back to normal as soon as possible, and the province will come out of the COVID-19 battle stronger than before.
Gateway Casinos, Canada’s largest iGaming operator, stated that it joined forces with local and provincial government authorities to fight and prevent the COVID-19 spread. The health and safety of all workers remain the company’s top priority.
In other news, Ontario casinos can expect to receive online gaming operational rights soon.
If you’re still up for some fun but your favourite land-based casino is closed, check out our selection of best online casinos in Canada and gamble safely at home!
ABOUT AUTHOR
I am a psychologist working as a freelance writer. My texts mainly revolve around mental health, psychopathology, and psychotherapy. There are so many interesting things in this world, but to me being human and what it means to be a human are perhaps the most interesting questions of all. I’m also interested in history, philosophy, and geopolitics. It may not seem so, but these three fields work very well with psychology, if you have the right mindset.
