We decided to take the chance of going to the front lines in the entertainment business to see if it really can be done safely and right — and the Ho-Chunk Nation came through in aces!

The whole complex is now smoke-free. The casino is limited to 1,000 people, which is less than 25% capacity. Everyone must be digitally temperature checked before entrance. (Elevated temperature, no entrance.) 

The hotel rooms are sealed after being cleaned. (Ours was cleaned and sealed two days prior to our arrival.) There is no room service available and housekeeping only comes into your room at your request. The only restaurant open was the Ho-Chunk Grill with limited hours and to-go service. (Though there were tables available if you chose to eat there.)

Everyone, including performers, must be masked at all times. (Turns out there’s no problem at all singing through a mask!) There are hygiene stations with masks, gloves and hand sanitizer everywhere. There are large boxes of huge sanitizing wipes and Purell dispensers, also everywhere. Staff are constantly cleaning all surfaces.

In the casino, they have spaced out and rearranged the gaming machines for social distancing, as well as having the now ubiquitous “Please Stay 6 Feet Apart” signs on floors. Though roulette and some other types of gaming were shut down, the black jack tables (and elsewhere) have individual plastic face barriers in place. Announcements remind patrons not only of casino specials, but to safe distance and keep your mask over both mouth and nose. 

And yet, none of it was either intrusive or seemed to detract from anyone’s enjoyment and fun. We almost felt safer there than in the “outside world”! And of course, the staff and hospitality were all impeccable. 

Bravo, Ho-Chunk Nation! We can start to open up more, and do it safely. 

If you’re a performer wondering if and when you can return to work, just do your due diligence and make sure whoever you work for is doing it safely and right. What the Ho-Chunk are doing is an excellent yardstick to use.