Vail Resorts shutting down all North American operations, including those in Lake Tahoe

LAKE TAHOE, Calif. Vail Resorts announced Saturday that they are suspending the operations of all of their North American mountain resorts, retail stores and corporate offices beginning tomorrow, March 15, 2020, for at least one week (through March 22) to assess the rest of the season.

This includes Heavenly Mountain Resort, Kirkwood Resort and Northstar in the Lake Tahoe area.

"These are incredibly challenging and uncertain times for all of us. This has been a fast-moving situation with new information communicated around the clock, and we have been constantly re-evaluating our operating decisions as the situation unfolds. I want to thank each and every one of you for your unwavering support – your commitment to our mountains, our guests, our communities and to each other has been steadfast and I am sincerely grateful," said Vail CEO Rob Katz in a press release.

See the full press release here: http://news.vailresorts.com/corporate/update-on-coronavirus-from-vail-resorts.htm.

All of their scheduled employees, both seasonal and year-round, will be paid during this upcoming eight-day period, without needing to use any vacation or sick time.

Their lodging and property management operations will remain open to serve guests who are already in the resort or have existing reservations.

"For those who do not permanently live in our resort community, we recommend that you use the next week to help transition and plan to return home, as we cannot guarantee what our needs will be going forward," said Katz. "Anyone living in our employee housing can, of course, stay as you prepare your return trip. Please keep your manager aware of your plans."

Free counseling is available for employees through their Epic Wellness program:
U.S. based employees and their families: ComPsych EAP (877) 327-2289 or guidanceresources.com (Organizational Web ID “VailEAP”). The EpicPromise Employee Foundation is accepting Emergency Relief applications for those infected by COVID-19, care-taking for someone infected by COVID-19, or under quarantine due to COVID-19.