After previously postponing Phase 3 of Covid-19 restrictions, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont allowed restaurant and bar capacity to increase from 50 percent to 75 percent on Thursday, October 8. Establishments will be subject to Covid-19 safety requirements. However, officials at Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods said they’re still considering their next moves.
Mohegan Sun President and General Manager Jeff Hamilton said he and Sports/Entertainment President Tom Cantone have been consulting with the Mohegan Tribal Health Department about future plans. Hamilton said, “It is possible that our smaller venue, the Wolf Den, may ramp back up this fall with limited capacity. Concerts and other public events in Mohegan Sun Arena are not likely until sometime in 2021, when it is safe to do so.”
Hamilton noted several boxing events with Bellator MMA and Showtime Boxing have been staged “with great success” at Mohegan Sun Arena, without live fans. He noted the televised fights follow strict health and safety policies for all fighters, staff and other personnel. Hamilton added the comedy club has been offering limited capacity show and live music.
Currently 34 of Mohegan Sun’s 47 restaurants are open. Hamilton said those that offer dine-in service moved from 50 percent to 75 percent capacity on October 1. The Pan-Asian restaurant TAO Asian Bistro & Lounge, delayed by Covid-19, will open in late 2020 or early 2021. “It is possible that Mohegan Sun venues will increase limits as well, though this will vary by location. For example, Comix Roadhouse and Comix Comedy Club are not expected to increase capacities by more than 10% of their current protocols,” Hamilton said.
He said the Sky Convention Center and Earth Expo & Convention Center “have also built their own health & safety resource center for clients, and have started to ramp back up with these comprehensive guidelines in place.” Hot Import Nights, “a unique automotive festival featuring hundreds of Japanese, European and domestic modified vehicles,” will take place in Earth Expo on October 31 with distancing and safety protocols in place. Also “a slightly scaled down Vets Rock event is also potentially returning in Earth Expo on November 6,” Hamilton said.
At Foxwoods, Interim Chief Executive Officer Jason Guyot said, “Governor Lamont is doing a fantastic job keeping Connecticut safe and swiftly addressing hots spots as they flare up, and we applaud his strong leadership during this crisis.” However, while gearing up to increase capacity, Foxwoods officials reversed course and announced, “In response to the increased Covid-19 infection rate across eastern Connecticut, Foxwoods will continue to operate at 25 percent capacity, as it has since reopening in June. The resort maintaining its current capacity limit is also directly related to the successful safety track record Foxwoods has seen from its existing operating plan.”
Guyot added Foxwood management has been working on “a strategic plan to safely reopen live entertainment in our theaters and across the resort” and that it has developed a plan “considered as an industry standard aimed at mitigating safety risks to our guests, team members and performers.”
Thirty-seven of Foxwoods’ 54 food and drink locations currently are open. The Red Lantern and Shrine nightclub has reopened and the Grand Theater will reopen October 16. The casino held two mass community-based testing events.
