Seoul to tighten restrictions as Covid-19 cases rise

Authorities in Seoul are considering tightening Covid-19 restrictions. Casinos are likely to be shut again if a lockdown is imposed.

South Korea.- Seoul is facing a fourth wave of Covid-19 cases, and the government is evaluating whether to reintroduce tighter countermeasures.

The Ministry of Health has reported 1,275 new Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours in South Korea. Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum has said that if cases continue rising in the next three days, he will impose the strictest of social distancing levels, which means casinos will shut again.

Under a total lockdown, people will be ordered to stay at home and only essential services will be allowed.

According to Reuters, the daily cases reported were the highest since last December. Just 10 per cent of the population has been fully vaccinated, while only 30 per cent has received one dose. 

There are three foreigner-only casinos located in Seoul, all of them suffering from the lack of tourists.

Grand Korea Leisure (GKL), operator of the Seven Luck Casino Millennium Seoul and Seven Luck Seoul Gangnam, reported casino sales of KRW40.29m in the first half of the year, down 69.7 per cent when compared to 2020.

GKL venues in Seoul reopened in March at 20 per cent of normal capacity after being closed since November 24. The company saw casino sales fall by 62.4 per cent year-on-year to KRW184.46bn in 2020.

Paradise Co is also struggling with a lack of tourists. It reported that sales fell 7.1 per cent in the first quarter of the year to KRW96.6bn while casino sales came in at KRW96.6bn, down 31.1 per cent sequentially and 51.6 per cent year-on-year.