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In Southern California, many Native American-owned casinos reopened in a flurry last month, welcoming back crowds of customers and implementing new public health policies after months-long coronavirus closures. But some tribes in the region decided to take a few extra weeks — or longer — before opening their casinos to the public.

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The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, which runs San Manuel Casino in Highland, is one of them. The tribe watched as other casinos in the area got back up and running in late May, despite an urging from California Gov. Gavin Newsom to reconsider, and planned to wait it out instead. Their casino is now set to reopen June 15.

'San Manuel is not one to act irresponsibly. We had to make sure that we consider the safety and security of our people, but also the larger community,' said Chairman Ken Ramirez, who was sworn into the position during the coronavirus pandemic. 'It wasn’t so much (Newsom's) warning, but we weren't ready to open up at that time. We wanted to make sure that we did it in the right way and in the safest way.'

Tribes are sovereign nations, meaning that they aren't required to follow local or state stay-at-home orders. Tribes across the Coachella Valley still, however, voluntarily suspended casino operations in March.

The Augustine Band of Cahuilla Indians, one of America's smallest tribes, announced on Friday that its casino in Coachella will open on June 15 as well. As of last year, the tribe had a membership of just 12 people; larger neighboring tribes, like the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, have several hundred members.

Jef Bauer, the Augustine Casino's general manager, said last week that Augustine was monitoring the number of coronavirus cases in the region and would reopen 'when the tribe deems it safe enough.'

'We've never based our opening on when other people were going to open; that really isn't relevant to this tribe,' he said. 'The tribe wants to make sure that our team and customers are as safe as possible.'

Casino Pauma, owned by the Pauma Band of Luiseño Indians and located in the northernmost part of San Diego County, reopened Friday morning after a three-month hiatus. General Manager Jim Thomason wrote in a news release that guests could expect 'smaller crowds compared to the mega resorts that surround us.'

“Because we are a smaller local casino that does not have a hotel, spa, pool, and other amenities like the larger resorts, it is far easier to manage safety for our guests,' he said.

Of course, many casinos across the country are still shuttered and don't have plans to reopen this month. With over 570 federally recognized tribes across the United States, those with gaming operations have taken varying approaches to reopening timelines. Navajo Nation, the largest Native American reservation, for one, will keep its four casinos closed until early July.

Temperature checks, face coverings

Each Southern California casino planning to reopen has instituted a number of changes for visitors.

At San Manuel, a new health and safety plan involves organization-wide training and expanded cleaning schedules, among other policies. Guests will have to wear a face covering, health screenings will be conducted at the door, and the maximum number of guests will be 2,600.

Just as other casinos were opening their doors in May, San Manuel was also forced to lay off and furlough a combined 1,100 employees, Ramirez said. But now, several thousand staff members are returning and have undergone coronavirus-related training. And roughly 300 newly created positions, including health screener and safety concierge, were given to previously laid-off employees. San Manuel Gateway College is helping to train those staff members.

At Augustine Casino, changes regarding public health will look similar. Bauer said masks will be required at all times, for both customers and staff. Slot machines will have chairs at every other device to maintain an appropriate distance between guests, and table games will be removed. The casino will have a shorter operating day when it first opens — 8 a.m. to midnight.

At Pauma, face masks and temperature screenings also will be the norm. No more than three players will be allowed at each table game and plexiglass shields will be installed in different areas, according to a statement.

Coronavirus hit to tribal income

Before COVID-19, San Manuel estimates that its casino attracted 20,000 to 30,000 visitors a day. Losing that revenue stream over the last few months has been extremely challenging, Ramirez said.

'As we looked to close down, we didn't know what the future was going to bring,' he said. 'We had no idea we were going to be closed for as long as we were. We evaluated every two weeks how we were going to move forward. And I'll tell you that strain on income coming in has been tremendous.'

Along with many other indigenous nations, San Manuel applied for emergency funding through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, Ramirez said.

Payments were based on population, employment and expenditure data from tribes. According to a May document from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, one final distribution through the CARES Act to the San Manuel tribe, in the form of aid to its tribal government, totaled $116,965. Augustine received $62,516 and Pauma also received $116,965 in that specific payment. For the much larger Navajo Nation, that payment was $4 million.

'What we've gotten were crumbs compared to what others got,' Ramirez said. 'It didn't even attempt to cover a fraction of what we've had to put out while we were closed.'

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The number of visitors willing to venture into casinos now might be much smaller, but Ramirez is looking forward to returning to normal.

'It's going to be good to get back into the swing of things again,' he said.

Bauer, the Augustine Casino GM, warned in April that mounting expenses could be 'crippling' for some if casino closures extended until June. This month, he underscored Augustine's financial security but added that the lost income has been palpable.

'This tribe has been fiscally responsible for 20 years. And so they're okay, but the revenue loss is painful,' he said. 'It's not an easy thing for them.'

But opening casinos — or even going out in public — any time before a COVID-19 vaccine is developed will surely involve an element of risk, Bauer said.

'I don't think there's any perfect scenario for opening and protecting everybody,' he said. 'But our plan is to try to err on as much caution as possible and still operate.'

Amanda Ulrich covers Native American issues in Southern California. She is also a Report for America corps member. Amanda can be reached at amanda.ulrich@desertsun.com.

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This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Why three tribal casinos in Southern California waited until June to reopen