SkyCity and TAB NZ hit by quarantine extension

The casino and betting shops in Auckland will remain closed as NZ government extends quarantine measures.

New Zealand.- SkyCity’s Auckland casino and TAB NZ’s betting shops in the city will be closed until August 26 to comply with the new level of alert determined by local authorities.

The New Zealand Government announced last week that the whole country would go back to level of alert 2 in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, except for Auckland city, which was placed under a higher level 3 alert.

This meant a request for Aucklanders to remain in their homes, wear masks when out, and for non-essential businesses in the city to close, all due to four Covid-19 cases found to be community transmitted after over a 100 days without any reports in the country.

Authorities have now extended the quarantine measures until at least August 26 after more cases emerged.

SkyCity has issued a release saying its Auckland casino and entertainment facilities will remain closed until 11.59pm on August 26.

The group’s casinos in Hamilton and Queenstown are open with corresponding physical distancing and hygiene measures for alert level 2, while SkyCity’s Adelaide casino also remains open.

Lottery and sports betting company TAB NZ announced all of its Auckland branches would be closed until August 26.

All other betting shops in New Zealand are operating under alert level 2 guidelines, which mean increasing the cleaning frequency of high volume touchpoints, like touch screens and EFTPOS terminals, observing social distancing measures and providing for contact tracing, including displaying the Government’s Covid-19 QR Code.