The Downs Racetrack and Casino in Albuquerque has been mostly closed for business this past year. Even so, it’s been a hive of activity, holding food drives, Covid-19 testing, PPE distribution and vaccine distribution.
Now business at the racetrack and casino can resume as well, at least in part. According to the El Paso Times, depending on their location and Covid status, casinos licensed by the state can now operate in some capacity. The Downs, which is currently at Level Yellow, can operate at 33 percent capacity.
“We needed to do the right thing and we made a significant investment in many things around the property” during the shutdown, said General Manager Frank Neborsky. Plexiglass dividers were installed between each slot machine as well as “contact points like the cage and players club and some of the point-of-sale outlets for our food offerings.” Cleaning crews are always on the job.
“We went above and beyond what the guidelines and standards of that the CDC set and the Department of Health because we wanted to make sure that when people did come back, when our team members came back to work, and our guests came back to enjoy themselves here, that they felt comfortable, safe,” he said.
Socially distances signage is posted throughout the property and masks are mandatory. Neborsky said the Downs also invested in some new technology during quarantine.
“When you enter the building, there’ll be a checkpoint. So, as you’re approaching that checkpoint we will be checking ID to make sure everyone has a valid ID when it comes on the floor, that they’re 21 years or older. And they’ll walk up to a security post, and they will be scanned for temperature.”
Neborsky said he was gratified “to see the excitement on our team members’ faces” as they returned to work on a more regular basis. The property hopes to bring back all 500-plus employees who worked there.
