700 People Locked In Macau Hotel And Casino Resort After COVID-19 Outbreak, Government Prepares Mass Test

Illustrated with COVID-19. (Wikimedia Commons / N509FZ)

JAKARTA - Macau authorities closed and locked down a hotel and resort with 700 people inside on Tuesday, due to the coronavirus outbreak at the property, according to local broadcaster TDM.

The lockdown comes as China's special administrative region carried out two days of mass testing of its more than 600,000 population after dozens of cases of the locally transmitted coronavirus were discovered over the weekend.

Footage obtained by broadcasters and industry publications shows police officers in protective gear sealing off the compound to prevent people from entering or leaving. Government officials are also preparing COVID-19 tests for the hundreds of people on board.

Fortuna, an old striking property located on Macau's main peninsula, is a satellite casino under the umbrella of SJM Holdings, the entity founded by former Macau major Stanley Ho.

The casino is run by local businessman Sio Tak Hong, who was arrested last year on suspicion of corruption and money laundering. The hotel and government did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Macau's previous coronavirus outbreak occurred in October last year, with the city not previously having had a large-scale quarantine or lockdown. Dozens of cases have emerged since the weekend, but are still well below daily infections in many places, including neighboring Hong Kong, where infections have jumped to more than 1,000 in recent days.

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

Most residents are asked to stay at home, restaurants are closed for dinner and border restrictions have tightened, meaning casino revenue is likely to be near zero for at least one week and likely weeks to come, analysts said.

It is known, Macau only has one public hospital with services that are already stretched every day. 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.