LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas casinos shuttered due to the new coronavirus outbreak will be able to reopen only when state health officials are certain the spread of the virus has declined and after changes are implemented to protect customers and staff, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said.

Casinos reopening date will depend on health data, the state’s progress in decreasing virus cases and casino adjustments, the Republican governor said Wednesday in a statement.

“I am confident we will get there,” he said.

In the meantime, however, Department of Health Secretary Nate Smith said he has concerns about casinos in particular because they’re “high risk” for spreading the virus, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported Friday.

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“They are indoors. A lot of people in a small amount of space. Oftentimes, people with significant risk factors,” Smith said. “Oftentimes, there is smoking going on as well, and you’ve got a lot of people touching stuff, so if you wanted to design a setting to optimize the spread of COVID-19, it would look a lot like a casino.”

Hutchinson last month ordered the state’s three casinos to close due to the outbreak of COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus.

As of Thursday, the number of people in the state with confirmed COVID-19 cases had risen to at least 2,465, and deaths had risen from 42 to 45 people, health officials said. The number of infections is likely higher because many people have not been tested and studies suggest people can be infected and not feel sick.

For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause death or more severe illness, including pneumonia.

A spokesman for Southland Casino’s parent company said it’s uncertain when the casino will reopen and that they will continue consulting officials.

An Oaklawn Casino spokeswoman said she has no comment.

John L. Berrey, chairman of the Quapaw Nation and the Saracen Development Authority, said the Downstream Casino Resort is working on a reopening plan to be carried out at the appropriate time.