Encore Boston Harbor To Close Over Coronavirus Concerns

EVERETT, MA — Encore Boston Harbor announced Saturday it will close to the public for two weeks. The casino said it made the decision after consulting with the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, which recently voted to shut down operations at the state's casinos.

Encore's gaming areas will close starting at 5:59 a.m. on Sunday, March 15. All other non-gaming operations will cease starting at midnight on Sunday.

Encore said will pay all full-time employees during this period as it evaluates the impact of this temporary closure. A limited number of employees and management will remain at the resort to secure, sanitize and maintain the facility.

"The health and welfare of our guests and employees has been our primary concern throughout this health crisis," a spokesperson for Encore wrote in an email. "Encore Boston Harbor has been operating in excess of the safety recommendations of the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)."

Utah Jazz player Donovan Mitchell, who has tested positive for the coronavirus, was at Encore March 5 when his team was in Boston to play the Celtics, the Boston Globe reported Thursday.