Macau casino workers call for venues to close amid Covid-19 outbreak

The New Macau Gaming Staff Rights Association is concerned about the rapid growth of new Covid-19 cases in the city and is calling for a temporary closure of casinos.

Macau.- Casinos remain open in Macau despite an increase in Covid-19 cases, with 70 new cases in the last 24 hours. However, casino workers are calling for a shut down.

Chief executive Ho Iat Seng has noted that he had agreed in 2020 that in the event of any new confirmed cases detected at a casino, only that casino would have to suspend operation, not all casinos. The only measure so far has been a decision that from July 1 casinos must request that guests present a negative Covid-19 test issued within the previous 48 hours.

Casino staff will be required to provide a negative Covid-19 result before each shift and must wear KN95 protective masks when customers are present

However, Cloee Chao, president of the New Macau Gaming Staff Rights Association, told Macau News Agency that casinos should temporary shut their doors. He says the 48-hour testing requirement is difficult for casino employees, since a small distraction could prevent them from being able to work.

Chao said the new rules made casino workers feel like they had to overcome difficulties to get to work, and that some workers had complained that they would have to queue for two or three hours to get tested. He also noted that casinos currently have almost no guests.,

The association president said: “It’s too awful to torture tens of thousands of employees like this. Is it necessary to make us suffer from the frequent tests just for a few guests?”

Meanwhile, the government decided to use the 2.300 hotel rooms at the Parisian Macao casino resort as a quarantine accommodation. The Hotel and Casino Fortuna was also added to the list of Red Code lockdown areas after one of the hotel’s workers reportedly tested positive.