Tachi Palace Casino Resort

Tachi Palace Casino Resort announced that it will be implementing a non-smoking policy starting Friday.

Michael Olujic, general manager of the casino resort, said the temporary non-smoking policy is for the safety of guests and employees during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Masks are required inside the casino, and by banning smoking in the casino interior, the amount of time guests’ faces are covered will increase and also contribute to better air quality, according to casino officials.

There will be designated smoking areas available outside at each entrance.

Tribal casinos started reopening toward the end of May after being closed since March due to Covid-19. Table Mountain Casino also announced it would ban smoking indoors.

Area tribal casinos remained open Thursday after Gov. Gavin Newsom’s order closing indoor businesses in California for up to three weeks, which also includes cardrooms.

The order does not impact Indian casinos, which are located on sovereign land.