Casino stocks fall as Macau toughens Covid-19 measures for Guangdong and other areas
Covid-19 countermeasures have been reintroduced for inbound travellers entering Macau from Guangdong and other areas on the Chinese mainland.
Macau.- Authorities in Macau have imposed quarantine restrictions on inbound travellers from Guangdong province and other parts of mainland China, including Shanghai, Tianjin and Beijing areas. The move comes due to big increases in Covid-19 cases in several parts of China.
The Macau Health Department said that as of yesterday (March 13), all travellers entering Macau who have stayed at any location in Zhongshan City and Shenzhen City in Guangdong Province must undergo quarantine on arrival at designated locations for a minimum of seven days and a maximum of 14 days from their date of departure from the area concerned.
Casino share prices were down today as a result. SJM Holdings Ltd fell 10 per cent to HK$3.28 (US$0.42) which represents its biggest one-day percentage drop in six months. Sands China fell 9.2 per cent while Melco International Development Ltd. shares fell 9.1 per cent.
On Sunday, China reported nearly 3,400 Covid-19 cases, the highest daily number of cases in two years. China remains the only country with a largely quarantine-free travel bubble with Macau.
Macau reports vaccination rate of over 80%
Macau has confirmed that 80.2 per cent of the population has received at least one dose of a vaccine against Covid-19. Some 496,404 people have received two or more doses and 51,966 just one, according to the city’s Novel Coronavirus Response Coordination Center.
Last December, Ho Iat Seng, Macau’s chief executive said that once the city achieved an 80 per cent vaccination rate, it would be easier to negotiate a travel bubble with other regions.
