Casinos in Gilpin County will start a phased-in reopening June 17 after getting the go-ahead from state health officials.

Gilpin County Commissioner Ron Engels said Sunday that the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment approved a variance allowing the casinos in Black Hawk and Central City to open under extensive guidelines to keep customers and employees safe from COVID-19.

The casinos in Gilpin and Teller counties have been closed since mid-March under statewide restrictions to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Gilpin County’s 50-page request for a variance was approved Saturday. Teller County is seeking a variance to reopen the casinos in Cripple Creek.

“It is such an incredible relief and we know it’s still a very long haul,” Engels said.

Only slot machines will be in operation at first. Engels said the CDPHE wants to wait three weeks before allowing the table games to resume to make sure a spike in coronavirus cases doesn’t occur.

The guidelines approved by the CDPHE include limiting a casino’s occupancy to 50% of the capacity allowed by the fire code, or 175 people in a confined, indoor space. Customers and employees will be screened for any symptoms of coronavirus and lines will be used to mark the six feet required for social distancing.

“We look forward to working with Gilpin County to ensure they can reopen in as safe a manner as possible,” Shelby Wieman, spokeswoman for Gov. Jared Polis, said in an email.

The Gilpin County Board of Public Health approved an order Sunday to provide guidance for casinos, the city of Black Hawk said in a release. Next, the board will approve a reopening and operation plan for every casino that will allow them to open their doors at 8 a.m. June 17.

Engels said it will be a while before the businesses are back to full speed, but “we see hope now.” Roughly 6,000 people work in the Gilpin County casinos. Engels has said that since the casinos closed, the number of people seeking help at the county’s food bank has jumped fourfold.

The cities and county have taken a big hit in tax revenue, he said.