With zero coronavirus cases among its membership and $13 million in federal stimulus funding, leadership of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa & Chippewa Indians (GTB) is feeling very fortunate — and prepared to reopen their two casinos this week.

GTB Chairman Sam McClellan says he feels lucky that the tribe has thus far remained largely insulated from the COVID-19 crisis. “We haven’t had any positive cases [among our membership]. We might have had four or five people that were tested, but they came out negative. So we’ve been very fortunate as a tribe to not get hit like some of the other tribes have.”

Nationwide, coronavirus has disproportionately impacted many Native American tribes, causing concerns over high unemployment, food security, overtaxed healthcare systems, and more. For example, the Navajo Nation alone has recorded more than 4,800 infections and more than 150 deaths. As of mid-May, the tribal territory – which spans parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah – officially has a higher per-capita infection rate than any U.S. state, topping both New York and New Jersey.

McClellan tells The Leelanau Ticker that GTB has also been fairly financially stable throughout the pandemic. Earlier this month, the New York Times reported that the closure of Native American-owned casinos was causing widespread unemployment for tribal members and “eviscerating the revenues many tribal nations use to provide basic services.” GTB’s tribal government functions, such as public safety and clinical health and dental services, are funded in large part by the revenues from the GTB’s Economic Development Corporation arm – which includes the Turtle Creek and Leelanau Sands Casinos, as well as Grand Traverse Resort & Spa, Turtle Creek Market and Eagletown Market. The band closed both casinos and halted the majority of Resort operations on March 16, effectively cutting off those revenues. Despite these closures, GTB continued to provide full wages and benefits to all casino and Resort employees through April 29. He notes that 150 tribal members are employed across the two casinos, plus 15 members at the Resort.

“We were ready for it,” McClellan says of the shutdown. “Financially, we were in a position where we could hold out for a 10 or 11-week shutdown.” He adds that the tribe has so far received $13.2 million in stimulus funding from the federal government, which has helped to ease the blow.

Now, as northern Michigan begins reopening its economy, GTB is also preparing to get back to work. The tribe announced on Sunday that it would reopen both Turtle Creek Casino and Leelanau Sands Casino beginning at 8am on Friday, May 29, after nearly 11 weeks of closure. Building capacities will be limited to 350 guests at a time at Turtle Creek and 125 guests at Leelanau Sands Casino – approximately 25 percent of the normal capacity allowances. In addition, only one-third of the slot machines in each casino will be operational, to allow for greater social distancing among players. Similar restrictions exist for table games: every other table on the casino floor will be closed, and tables that are open for play will be limited to three players at a time. The casinos will also conduct temperature checks at main entrances, require guests to wear masks, temporarily ban smoking indoors, limit capacities in restaurants, reduce the number of available hotel rooms, and install floor signage to enforce social distancing.

Despite the restrictions, McClellan is confident that guests will be ready to come back to the casinos – and that the new policies and protocols will be able to ensure a safe environment for employees and patrons alike.

“Just like golfers love to golf, gamblers love to gamble,” McClellan says. “We know there are people just burning to get back out here. Gambling is a social environment and people have missed it. So I really do think there will probably be a lot of people coming in [on Friday]. We won't know until it happens, but I feel we're prepared to handle what we can. And it’s going to be monitored on a daily basis. We’ll have meetings to see where we’re at and how everything’s going, and we’ll adjust if necessary. We’re keeping our hopes up that everything will run smoothly.”

And, though formal celebrations had to be cancelled, this week also marks a milestone for the tribe: its 40th anniversary of sovereignty. On May 27, 1980, the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians became the first tribe in Michigan to be recognized by the U.S. government as a sovereign nation. The Grand Traverse Resort noted in an announcement on social media, “Congratulations to our ownership, the GT Band, on four decades of sovereignty and success. And thank you for all the contributions you’ve made to the Northern Michigan community.”