Macau casinos asked to temporarily reduce staff amid Covid-19 outbreak

Authorities in Macau have asked casinos to reduce staff by as much as 90 per cent.

Macau.- The Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau has asked casino operators to temporarily reduce the number of workers on their gaming floors by nearly 90 per cent amid a rise in Covid-19 cases in the city. The Ministry of Health has reported 638 cases in the latest outbreak.

According to local media, the new countermeasure will be in place from today (July 1) until at least July 8. SJM Holdings has launched a home leave programme to let employees who have taken seven days of leave, either paid or unpaid, have an extra day of paid leave. 

However, Cloee Chao of the New Macau Gaming Staff Rights Association has said that casinos should temporarily shut their doors. 

Chao 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?”