Macau casinos will remain open despite Covid-19 outbreak
Ho Iat Seng, Macau’s chief executive, has said that only venues where Covid-19 cases are detected will close.
Macau.- Chief executive Ho Iat Seng has said that there will be no mass closure of casinos amid the latest outbreak of Covid-19 cases in Macau. Although authorities have announced the closure of most kinds of entertainment venues, only those casinos where Covid-19 cases are detected will close.
During a press conference, Seng said: “We agreed with the casinos in 2020 that in case of any new confirmed cases found in a casino, only this casino will suspend operation instead of all casinos.”
He added: “We are continuing to follow this arrangement and principle.”
For now, only the Hotel and Casino Fortuna has been added to the list of Red Code lockdown areas. That came after one of the hotel’s workers reportedly tested positive. The Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ has pointed out that casinos must strictly comply with Covid-19 guidelines issued by the Health Bureau. Some 110 Covid-19 cases were confirmed as of Thursday.
Ho Iat Seng also announced the government would spend MOP10bn (US$1.25bn) in a new round of financial support measures. He said he has been preparing action plans for the pandemic, which will be announced in the following weeks.
He said: “The local economy will only restore to the pre-Covid-19 level when the pandemic in Macau is over when it is over in Mainland China and around the world.”
