By Randy EllisStaff writerrellis@oklahoman.comGov. Kevin Stitt isn't the only head of a government in Oklahoma scrambling to bolster a health care system, rework a disintegrating budget and provide leadership to citizens as they struggle to cope with a virus that is threatening their physical and economic health. The leaders of Oklahoma's 38 federally recognized Indian tribes are facing those same challenges. It could be argued that the task is even more daunting for tribes, since many rely heavily on revenues from tribal casinos that their leaders have ordered temporarily shut down in an effort to slow the rapid spread of COVID-19. Leaders of three large Oklahoma tribes took time out from busy schedules last week to discuss the impact the coronavirus has had on their tribes and efforts they are making to fight it. Cherokee Nation Effective March 16, "I made the decision to shut down all of our hotels and casinos," said Chuck Hoskin Jr., principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, a northeastern Oklahoma tribe with more than 380,000 citizens. The decision also was made to continue paying full wages and benefits to the workers, who number about 4,000. The economic impact of those decisions on the tribal budget is more than $30 million a month, he said. Adding anxiety to the situation is not knowing how long it will be before casinos can reopen. "We're taking it in stages, but the truth is — as someone said yesterday in the media — we don't make the timeline, the virus makes the timeline," he said. The tribe has strong reserves and can operate without major disruptions for awhile, but there is a limit, Hoskin said. "Looking into the future, if this strings on for months we're going to have some challenging budget decisions to make in the Cherokee Nation.Read more on NewsOK.com
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