The approval process for a proposed Ho-Chunk Nation casino in Beloit is slowed after first nation people around the country are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.

Beloit City Manager Lori Curtis-Luther says there’s one step standing in the way of groundbreaking. The Bureau of Indian Affairs must vote to to place the land for the project into trust.

Curtis-Luther says she believes the project is still on track for a groundbreaking in early 2022.

Governor Tony Evers signed off on the project in March, more than a year after it was approved by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.