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By Levi Rickert

• New Island Casino Michigan
• Island Casino Michigan Opening Back-up

The casino was set to open at 10am but opened early at 2 a.m. MGM Grand Detroit reopens amid COVID-19 MGM Grand Casino, the last of Detroit's three casinos, reopened its doors amid. Michigan-based Gundlach Champion will oversee construction at the property. Gundlach Champion is also familiar with the property after having built the Island hotel’s Sun Tower as well as the casino expansion back in 1998. The designing, engineering and construction of the expansion is expected to begin in the next few months. Michigan casinos are remaining open despite Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s ban on events that have more than 250 people.

HARRIS, Mich. — Late last week, theIsland Resort and Casino, owned and operated by the Hannahville Indian Community in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, announced plans to reopen on May 6.

Today, two days after it was to re-open, Island Resort and Casino remains closed. The change of plans came after Hannahville Indian Community Tribal Chairperson Kenneth Meshigaud received correspondence from state of Michigan officials that made him rethink the reopening of the facility.

The resort and casino have been closed since March 21, when it voluntarily shuttered its doors due to concerns for the health and safety of its team members and customers related to COVID-19.

The Hannahville Indian Community is a federally recognized Potawatomi tribe. Federally recognized tribes have sovereignty status that exempts them from state laws. It also allows the tribal governments to interact with states in a government-to-government relationship.

Michigan, a state with the fourth-most COVID-19 related deaths in the country, has been under a stay-at-home order issued by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer since March 23. The order was extended Thursday afternoon until at least May 28.

Last week, the tribe reached out to the governor’s office to coordinate a reopen date for Island Resort and Casino. Citing its sovereign status, the tribe decided to reopen the casino, saying it would institute more safety precautions, including increased sanitation measures and checking temperature of all customers before allowing them access into the casino. Anyone with a temperature above 100-degrees F would be denied access.

The tribe heard back from the Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office and the Menominee County Prosecutor’s Office in a letter dated May 5. The message: the Tribe has the legal right to re-open, but some employees and customers could be subjected to penalties of up to $1,000 per violation or per day under the executive order.

“We got a letter by email on May 5 that told us about the measures the governor had taken to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic in Michigan, such as declaring the state of emergency, stay-at-home orders and explanation of the governor’s authority,” Meshigaud said in a telephone interview with Native News Online. “The letter told us we should limit our operations, otherwise our enrolled members living off reservation and customers could be cited and subject to civil and criminal penalties.”

After receiving the letter, Meshigaud said he made the decision to keep the casino closed.

“I did not want to put our tribal members or non-tribal members in jeopardy of being cited and wanted to consult with our tribal council,” Meshigaud said.

Native News Online reached out to the offices of Gov. Whitmer and Attorney General Nessel for comment on Thursday.

Attorney General Dana Nessel’s press secretary Ryan Jarvi shared a copy of the letter and released the following statement to Native News Online on Thursday:

“Representatives from State offices have been in ongoing discussions with tribal leaders, and a conference call between those leaders and Gov. Whitmer, MDHHS Chief Medical Executive Khaldun and other representatives from State offices is scheduled for early next week to continue that conversation. The Attorney General’s office will also participate in the call. We respect the tribes’ sovereignty and seek to continue to work with them as partners in a concerted effort to protect human life from the threat posed by COVID-19.”

As of today, the Island Resort and Casino’s website says the reopening will happen on May 16. Given the governor’s Thursday extension of the stay-at-home order, Meshigaud said the Hannahville Indian Community tribal council was meeting Friday morning to discuss next steps.

Meshigaud welcomes the conference call next week with other Michigan tribal leaders and the governor and other state officials.

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HARRIS, Mich. (WLUC) - UPDATE at 2:30 p.m. Friday:

All U.P. casinos now plan to close amid concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.

The Ojibwa Casinos in Chocolay Township and Baraga will close at 11:59 p.m. Saturday, the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community announced Friday. It will remain closed through April 12.

In Watersmeet, the LVD Northern Waters Casino Resort, Sugarbush Restaurant, Northern Waters Café, and Northern Waters Sports Bar will close to the public Saturday, March 21, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. The Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians announced Friday the businesses will tentatively re-open at 7:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 11, 2020.

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ORIGINAL STORY:

While most businesses in Michigan have been shut down, casinos on Indian reservations do not have to follow the same guidelines.

Ojibwa and Northern Waters will remain open to the public. Ojibwa, however, will be closed daily from 2:30 a.m. until 7:00 a.m.

“We intend to use this extended closing time to clean, sanitize and disinfect our casinos and related properties to further protect the health and safety of our guests and our team members,” said an Ojibwa Casino press release.

They have increased hand sanitizing stations throughout their property as well as increased staff to clean common touch surfaces. The pool and conference room are closed to the public until further notice.

Northern Waters will remain open during normal business hours.

“Tribal Leadership is closely monitoring all COVID-19 information and taking necessary steps to ensure community safety,” said a Northern Waters press release.

The Island Resort and Casino is in the process of shutting down their facility.

“We want to make sure that you know we are not going to cause be a cause of that but as you know that the U.P. doesn’t have any cases of that so I think that casinos and the restaurants are closed down and they’re not gonna contribute to it,” said Tony Mancilla, Island Resort and Casino general manager.

New Island Casino Michigan

The Island Resort and Casino has taken several days to shut down each part of the resort. They’re scheduled to be completely closed by noon on Saturday with plans to reopen on April 6. All Island Resort and Casino employees will be paid during this time.

Kewadin Casinos is also working on a phase closure. They will reopen on April 6. A list of the their closings are as follows:

• Suspension of dine-in service beginning March 18

• Deli curb side pickup will be available at Kewadin Sault and St. Ignace March 18-22 from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

• Closure of Kewadin Hessel on March 18 at 5 p.m.

Island Casino Michigan Opening Back-up

• Closure of Kewadin Christmas and Manistique on March 19 at 5 p.m.

• Closure of Kewadin Sault and St. Ignace on March 22 at 5 p.m.

• All hotel guests are being required to checkout by 11 a.m. on Sunday, March 22.

• Guest reservations between March 22 – April 5 will be automatically cancelled.

Bay Mills Casino finished their phase closing on Thursday. They are now completely closed to the public but will reopen on April 10. Tribal Leadership will continue to evaluate the situation and make changes if necessary.

For each casino’s website, click below: