Sonoma County officials say they are aware of the event.
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“It would be our preference not to have a party with 4,000 people at home,” said Paul Gullixson, a spokesman for Sonoma County during a news conference on Wednesday.
Sonoma County Public Health Officer Dr. Sundari Mase said she had contacted the casino, but had no jurisdiction over sovereign lands.
“They are trying to do things with as much mitigation as possible, in terms of limiting internal capacity to 20% of normal, in terms of applying facial covers or masks and social distance,” said Mase.
Sonoma County supervisor David Rabbitt, who has been skeptical about closing events like open-air restaurants, was more forceful in his refutation, saying the science is clear about large indoor meetings.
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“I don’t think it’s necessarily a big thing in this regard. It’s a difficult time, but the meetings have proven to be something that makes dissemination happen quickly,” said Rabbitt.
However, if they are going to open on New Year’s Eve, he says they are at least planning to limit the number of people instead of letting it get out of hand.
If the number of 4,000 people mentioned by Gullixson is 20% of the capacity, the casino could theoretically fit 20,000 inside, if they wanted to.
“Since it is invite-only, I suppose they could control who comes in, rather than expecting to have a much larger number over night,” said Rabbitt.
In a statement, tribal president Greg Sarris told ABC7:
“The federated Indians of Graton Rancheria continue to work closely with the Sonoma County public health officer. The Graton Resort & Casino will remain open to a limited extent and will continue to exceed all CDC security requirements. Members are tested to COVID-19 every two weeks and use digital devices that guarantee social distance. The bars will remain closed and the liquor service will end every night at 9 pm “
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