Bingo halls and casinos across the province were able to welcome people back into their establishments last week as Step Three of the provinces Roadmap to Reopen began.
Golden Eagle Bingo General Manager Cherise Milne and her staff will welcome back patrons today for the first time since November of 2020, as the hall officially opens to in-person bingo.
“We're definitely excited to see some people. I've gotten some great feedback from a lot of our customers. Some definitely got used to playing at home and being all comfortable, but some are very excited to come back.” said Milne
Throughout the pandemic to satisfy the die-hard players, the Golden Eagle put on media bingo events to allow people to participate from home.
“It's not quite the same, only getting to see our customers for a few seconds, but now being able to interact with them a little bit more and having that one on one with them more now than ever, it's definitely a lot more live and a lot more interesting being inside,” added Milne
Milne and her staff have been working hard on their welcome back surprise to make sure tonight is a memorable night for guests as there will be many prizes, giveaways, and big money pots.
“We definitely have some big pots you're walking in on. We have a couple of $1000 twoonie pots that we haven't been playing, also our Super X I believe is at a high number. The play ball is in the $20,000 range, so it's a huge number to start off with and we have some giveaways that we will give away in the food and beverage area as well,”
The Golden Eagle Bingo Hall will have COVID-19 measures in place that include a mandatory sign-in sheet, mask-wearing, social distancing, temperatures will be taken upon entry. Dividers will be in place at tables between people that aren't in the same social circle.
The province will remain in Step Three of the Roadmap for at least 21 days and until 80 per cent of the eligible population aged 12 and over have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 75 per cent have received their second, with no public health unit having less than 70 per cent of their population fully vaccinated. Other key public health and health care indicators must also continue to remain stable.
Upon meeting these thresholds, the vast majority of public health and workplace safety measures, including capacity limits for indoor and outdoor settings and limits for social gatherings, will be lifted. Only a small number of measures will remain in place, including the requirement for passive screening, such as posting a sign, and businesses requiring a safety plan.