Casinos in Macau have started to close various amenities as positive Covid test results in the special administrative region reach 34.
The government announced programme of mass-testing in the city on Sunday, with the results expected by Tuesday. Most services; including banks, schools and most business are closed – although the casinos themselves remain open.
Macau maintains a “covid-zero” approach to the virus, with the latest outbreak the first in months.
While individual policies differ depending on the concessionary: in general, all amenities and restaurants are closed across each of Macau’s six concessionaires, with some exceptions for takeaway and in-room dining.
The news is a blow to the sector which is heavily dependent on in-person tourism, with gross gambling revenue almost certain to take a hit. Shares for each of the six concessionaries have tumbled following the news; facing blows from between 4-8%.
Macau has struggled to recover to economic levels before the pandemic- with the GDP of the gambling-centric city less than half that of 2019. The government is set to pass a new set of gambling reforms, in part to help boost the sector.
