Macau Extends City Closure Due To COVID-19, But Casinos Stay Open

Illustrated casino in Macau. (Wikimedia Commons / Vmenkov)

JAKARTA - Macau authorities are extending COVID-19 restrictions, including the closure of bars, cinemas, hair salons and outdoor parks from Thursday, its chief executive said, as the world's biggest gambling hub struggles to curb the spread of the locally transmitted infection.

Interestingly, casinos are allowed to remain open while theaters, fitness centers and recreational facilities must cease operations from 5 p.m. local time on Thursday, Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng said in a statement on the government website.

As for places to eat, Macau authorities only allow take-out services that can be enjoyed by consumers, as reported by Reuters June 23.

More than 600,000 Macau residents were required to undergo a second round of mass testing this week, as the number of people infected with COVID-19 soared to more than 100 cases.

Positive cases include those who worked or visited casinos with some of them linked to a wedding party held inside SJM Holding's Grand Lisboa Palace.

A hotel and casino resort on Macau's main peninsula was locked down by authorities on Tuesday due to the coronavirus infection, with about 700 people forced into quarantine.

Macau's previous coronavirus outbreak occurred in October last year, with the city previously not having quarantine facilities or large-scale lockdowns. Macau's cases are still well below daily infections elsewhere, including neighboring Hong Kong, where infections have jumped to more than 1,000 in recent days.

A former Chinese-ruled Portuguese colony, Macau adheres to Beijing's "zero COVID" policy which aims to eradicate all outbreaks, at any cost, against the global trend of trying to coexist with the virus.

With that said, casino revenue is likely to be near zero in the coming weeks, analysts said.

Macau only has one public hospital and its services are being extended daily. The region's quick plan to test its entire population comes as it continues to open its borders with mainland China, with many residents living and working in the adjoining Chinese city of Zhuhai.