If the main cabin door was closed the slide was armed. Any time you hear the FA call “doors closed, armed, cross checked” they are armed. All the lady has to do is open the cabin door to force the deployment.
Any time a slide or raft is deployed, it has to be removed, inspected, tested, packed and reinstalled. It is not a short process and I highly doubt the maintenance department for that airline has spare slides sitting at an out-base. I know Chataqua didn’t.
That airplane was AOG the moment she opened the door. I don’t know the specific procedure for that airline but I’m betting everyone was deplaned, and the had to either swap planes or wait for another plane to be brought in from another hub.