ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. - After 3 1/2 months of being out of work amid the coronavirus outbreak, thousands of Atlantic City casino workers got the call they had been waiting for: It was time to go back to work.But less than three days before they were set to return, another call came: New Jersey's governor decided indoor dining was still too risky to allow, and casinos could not reopen their restaurants and bars.
Nor could they serve drinks or food indoors.And just like that, about 4,000 people who thought they had jobs again did not.“I wanted this nightmare to go away,” said Mineli Polanco, a costumed beverage server at the Borgata. “That first call was such a relief: things were going back to normal.