As you all know, a lot has changed in the world over the past few months. COVID-19, a new and highly contagious virus, has changed the way we live our daily lives. The global pandemic has forced leaders around the world to make difficult, but necessary, changes to protect the health and safety of everyone.
The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma has taken numerous steps to respond to the ever-evolving situation. Our top priority has always been the health and safety of our tribal members, associates, guests, vendors, entertainment partners and local communities. Choctaw Nation has been closely monitoring the situation based on the latest information from local, state and federal officials. We feel that we have an obligation to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.
On March 16, we decided to temporarily suspend operations at all of our Choctaw Casino & Resort locations as a health precaution. Soon after, we closed all of our wellness centers, community centers and administrative offices. We’ve also had to make the difficult decision to cancel or postpone many of our events, including our annual Trail of Tears Walk. We began issuing work from home orders for associates who are not mission-critical and able to do so. Even though our doors may be closed, our programs are still working remotely to make sure our tribal members get the services they need during this uncertain time.
On April 21, leadership announced the extension of pay and benefits to all employees through May 16. We will reevaluate the situation as that date approaches. We make these decisions knowing we must balance health and safety with the tribe’s long-term financial sustainability and the economic needs of our tribal members, associates and communities.
While many of our facilities have been closed since mid-March, our mission-critical facilities have remained open to help serve our communities. Our healthcare facilities have remained open to bring vital care to our tribal members. Travel plazas, Choctaw Country Markets and food distribution facilities have remained open to provide necessary services to keep our communities going.
We are still able to feed our seniors through our nutrition program and deliver Meals-on-Wheels to our communities, thanks to our associate volunteers. I’m so thankful and proud of our associates and how they have handled this situation. I want to give a huge shout out to everyone who has volunteered to prepare or serve meals, work in our refill center or stock shelves in our Country Markets. Yakoke to our health workers who are putting their own health on the line to provide care to others. Yakoke to our Country Market and travel plaza employees who are on the front lines working tirelessly every day to provide food and other essentials to our communities. Yakoke to our tribal police and security officers who are protecting our communities and facilities every day. Yakoke to all of our associates who are working onsite or from home. I want you all to know that your hard work and dedication are not going unnoticed.
This is a difficult time, but we will get through this together. As Chahta people, the blood in our veins is that of our strong and resilient ancestors. They endured hardships, sickness and suffering. But they were strong-willed and determined. They overcame everything that was thrown at them. We can draw from the strength of our strong Chahta ancestors to overcome our struggles today.
The COVID-19 situation is constantly changing. By the time this message reaches you, I’m sure there will be many more updates. But one thing is certain: we must continue to help each other, and keep our faith. Things will get better in time. We must do our part to help our communities until they do. I encourage you to call your families, check on your neighbors and support local businesses. We will get through this together as a community.
One thing I wanted to ensure through all of this was clear communication. On March 24, we began releasing COVID-19 special reports on social media. On March 26, I began releasing my daily COVID-19 reports to show the numbers of cases and testing in our area. For more information on closures, postponements and Choctaw Nation COVID-19 updates, please visit www.choctawnation.com/covid-19, and follow us on Facebook.