Atlantic City casino COVID precautions

[PhillyNewbie]

Made a quick jaunt to AC and thought I'd share some of my observations of COVID conditions there:

1) All casinos have big posters listing COVID symptoms at every outside-to-inside entrance, along with a staff member asking if you have exhibited any symptoms and directing you to the hand sanitizer station. Masks required everywhere inside. Hard Rock had a temperature-monitoring system as you walk in, but I saw no other temperature-taking measures anywhere. Every bathroom had a permanent attendant who was perpetually wiping things down.

2) Plexiglass partitions at all table games. Everywhere but Ocean had 3 player spots at BJ tables; Ocean had 4 player spots per table.

3) As usual, AC blackjack generally sucks. Still cutting off 2.5-3 decks. Bally's had $50 min tables using CSMs. Table mins were generally $15 and up.

4) Hand sanitizer everywhere!! There seem to be more hand sanitizer dispensers in AC than on cruise ships Ive been on..and that is a very good thing.

5) If youre serious about protecting yourself, avoid the boardwalk. About half the people I saw were either unmasked or had them hanging on their chins.

6) FOOD! Or, lack thereof..If you go to AC, be prepared to survive on boardwalk pizza or starve waiting in line for full-priced takeout from hotel restaurants (if they are even open). The line for the Dunkin Donuts in Bally's stretched out into the front desk area and wrapped around. (Tip: The "Sack O Subs" restaurant in the walkway between Bally's and Claridge now serves breakfast, and I was at least able to get coffee there in the mornings without the 2-hour Dunkin wait.). Signs everywhere telling you no eating, drinking or smoking anywhere but your hotel room. Forget that dinner at Morton's Steakhouse, unless you want to eat your $70 steak out of a styrofoam container with a plastic fork.

7) The panhandling has gotten considerably worse. It seems like the 4-month break gave the panhandlers time to consolidate their forces and form strategic alliances. It felt like I was getting tag-teamed by armies of zombie panhandlers. All unmasked, of course.

In all, it seemed like casino hotels were taking every reasonable precaution, with the exception of the temperature monitoring mentioned above. I felt much safer inside than out. I didnt see any "chip-washing" measures, but that may take place behind the scenes.

As always, YMMV.

[paymypush]

I saw chips being cleaned or sanitized at Caesars. It was a roulette table and the dealer was doing the cleaning. There was a large white towel on the table and the chips were spread on the towel. A large bucket of cleaner was also on the table and the dealer was wiping down the chips.