Tribal Leader Roundtable

This crisis has impacted our tribe considerably. About 140 of our members are elders, and many of them rely on the income generated from our gaming enterprise.

Through courses with the Emergency Management Institute and other opportunities through FEMA, we’ve been able to lay down the groundwork to assist our members during the COVID-19 situation.

The Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria is proud to say that our team members on the tribal government side as well as our casino resort have done a fantastic job assisting in the combat of this crisis.

We’ve incurred financial losses in the millions of dollars; we’ve had to furlough and lay off hundreds of tribal government and business employees; we’ve had team members and customers who have lost loved ones; and we’ve been forced to conduct operations in a whole new way throughout our organization, etc.

Tribes are making difficult and dramatic choices to protect our communities, tribal citizens and employees’ health and safety from the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 crisis.

Our tribe is a close-knit community and we have all known someone or we ourselves have been affected by COVID-19. It takes a mental toll on our tribal members as we face this health crisis, but I feel we have come together to care for each other and keep our spirits strong during this time.

The impact from the pandemic has been felt far and wide, and our nation will be in recovery for months if not years to come. In March, we closed our tribal government and Foxwoods Resort Casino for the first time ever since opening over 28 years ago.

The health and safety of tribal members, our employees, casino and bingo guests and the greater community has been the singular focus of our response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The global pandemic caused by COVID-19 has touched each and every person across the globe as individuals, businesses, communities and tribes. The Mohegan Nation is not exempt from that.

Through a combination of official orders, broadcast briefings and personal appeals, the Seminole Tribe has been relentless in educating its members about the importance of staying home, social distancing, wearing face coverings, washing their hands and reporting the first COVID-19 symptoms.