Wildhorse casino and hotel closes after employee tests positive for coronavirus
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Update: Wildhorse casino announces plans for reopening
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A worker at Wildhorse Resort and Casino just east of Pendleton is believed to have coronavirus.
The casino was expected to temporarily close for sanitization starting at noon Monday.
The closure includes the hotel, convention center, movie theater, children’s center and the restaurants.
The board of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation also ordered the closure of a community school, Head Start center and a daydare and senior center until all could be fully sanitized.
The employee also attended a youth basketball game Saturday in the small Oregon town of Weston.
The adult, who lives in Umatilla County, has been hospitalized in Walla Walla since Saturday for treatment of coronavirus.
It is now the third positive case of COVID-19 among Oregon residents as identified by state laboratory results, according to Oregon health officials. Confirmatory tests are yet to be completed by the Centers for Disease Control.
Washington state has been hardest hit by the virus in the nation. Officials announced Monday that six patients in the state, all in King or Snohomish counties, have died from the coronavirus. A total of 18 cases have been confirmed in the state and 231 people are under public health supervision.
King County is buying a motel to house ill patients and should have it open by the end of the week, officials there said on Monday.
The Grant County Health District in Washington state said Monday that it was investigating a possible case of COVID-19. The person is showing symptoms and test results are expected within three to five days.
Yakima County Health District was investigating a possible case of coronavirus over the weekend, but said Monday evening that lab testing came back negative.
Benton and Franklin counties still have no confirmed cases and no people under investigation.
The gender of the patient at the Walla Walla hospital was not released in a news release from the Oregon Health Authority.
The person works in a secure area of the casino and did not have contact with the public as part of their job, said Chuck Sams, spokesman for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, which owns the casino.
The casino was closed for cleaning out of an abundance of caution, he said. It is expected to reopen in 24 to 48 hours.
The Umatilllas also canceled all community events on its reservation through Saturday, including a planned community forum and some evening classes.
It also closed its Nixyaawii Community School, Head Start, daycare and senior center until their facilities can be fully sanitized. Those facilities are expected to reopen Tuesday morning, Sams said.
“State and local health officials are moving quickly to contact people who may have been in close contact with the individual who tested as a presumptive positive case,” according to a statement from the Oregon Health Authority.
“The third case is not linked to travel to a part of the world with known cases of COVID-19,” it said. “It is considered a case of community transmission.”
The infected person was at a tournament game Saturday in the Weston Middle School gymnasium in Weston, Ore.
“This was not a school event, it was community use of the gym,” the Athena-Weston School District posted on its website.
Weston is 60 miles from Pasco, and just south of Milton-Freewater. The town’s population is about 650.
School district officials have since closed that gym to conduct a deep cleaning.
The gym, at 205 E. Wallace St., is detached from the rest of the school and health officials say they do not consider the separate school building to pose any risk of exposure.
Other basketball game spectators are being considered “low-risk” exposures since they were in a closed environment with the infected person, according to federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.
The coronavirus spreads through water droplets, such as coughing or sneezing, which could infect someone up to about six feet away, said Dr. Dean Sidelinger, the Oregon state health officer.
The case is one of Oregon’s pending cases. Oregon health officials are updating their case and testing reports on OHA’s COVID-19 web page.
Health experts in both Oregon and Washington state are said to be working together to determine where else this person may have interacted with people in recent days, after their coronavirus symptoms first appeared.
The news release says officials will announce if there are any additional locations where people may have been exposed from this patient.
Both participants and spectators from Saturday’s basketball game in Weston are encouraged to call the following numbers if they have questions:
▪ 211 for Oregon residents
▪ 509-524-2647 in Walla Walla County
▪ 800-525-0127, press #, for the Washington State Department of Health
Most people who have tested positive for the coronavirus are said to have mild symptoms.
People who are feeling sick with mild symptoms and do not need to seek medical care are being encouraged to stay home while recovering.
Those who are ill, including with shortness of breath, and in need of care should call ahead to the doctor’s office so arrangements can be made to prevent exposing others
Call 911 for urgent medical needs.
Symptoms of coronavirus may be mild to severe respiratory illness with fever, cough and difficulty breathing. Those most likely to develop complications and become seriously ill are the elderly and those with other conditions such as heart or lung disease, diabetes or obesity.
Health officials remind people to take everyday precautions to prevent the spread of many respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19 and influenza.
▪ Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue and then throw the tissue in the trash.
▪ Wash your hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds. If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
▪ Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
▪ Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
▪ Clean and disinfect surfaces that are often touched.
▪ Take care of your health overall. Staying current on your vaccinations, including flu vaccine, eating well and exercising all help your body stay resilient.
▪ Consult CDC’s travel website for any travel advisories and steps to protect yourself if you plan to travel outside of the US.
For more information:
▪ OHA Emerging Respiratory Disease page: www.healthoregon.org/coronavirus
▪ Washington Department of Health: https://www.doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/Coronavirus
▪ CDC COVID-19 page: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
▪ CDC travel notice: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices
▪ WHO page: https://www.who.int/westernpacific/emergencies/novel-coronavirus
This story was originally published March 2, 2020 at 12:08 PM with the headline "Wildhorse casino and hotel closes after employee tests positive for coronavirus."