Macau entertainment venues in temporary shutdown due to Covid

Authorities in Macau have ordered all entertainment venues except for casinos to temporarily halt operations from October 6 due to a rise in local Covid-19 cases.

Macau.- Amid a rise in local Covid-19 cases in recent hours, authorities have ordered all entertainment venues, excluding casinos, to suspend operations from October 6 until further notice. The measure covers cinemas, theatres, game consoles and electronic-game rooms and nightclubs, among other venues.

Although casino venues have not been ordered to close their gaming floors, resorts must shut down their spas, gymnasiums, lounges and bars. It is still unknown how long the measure will last or whether it could be extended to gaming floors.

Macau faces new Covid-19 cases in October Golden Week

Authorities have revealed that only 3,122 visitors arrived in Macau during the first two days of the national Golden Week holiday – down 92 per cent compared with last year – following the appearance of new local cases of Covid-19.

The local outbreak looks set to have a deep impact on the highly anticipated holiday period, with GGRAsia reporting that as of Thursday just five out of 25 resorts in Macau had sold out for around four evenings. Previous to the new outbreak of Covid-19 cases, Macau authorities were expecting to welcome 40.000 daily visitors.

Analysts at JP Morgan Securities said: “We think it’s a foregone conclusion that it will be an ungolden holiday as many players are likely to cancel the trips to avoid risks of being quarantined upon their return to the mainland.”