Macau casino concessionaires have been warned: if they end up playing host to a Covid-19 infection, they could be closed down. The Gaming Inspection and Co-ordination Bureau (DICJ) issued a warning to the casinos just ahead of a potential return of Chinese tourists.
The DICJ held a joint meeting with the six local gaming operators and judiciary Police (PJ) to discuss how to keep the pandemic out of the special administrative region (SAR), while also recovering the gambling industry. At the meeting, DICJ Crime Investigation Department Head Luis Leong noted that if any establishment is confirmed to have a Covid-19 case, containment procedures dictate that it will lead to a temporary closure.
That would be bad for any casino, and they certainly wouldn’t want to intentionally bring in a Covid-19 infected person. To be safe, the DICJ urged strict and rigorous enforcing of pandemic prevention health measures, including all the measures we’ve come to expect. Rigorous cleaning and disinfection, temperature checks at the door, and even including cleaning and disinfection, and entry measures such as demanding body temperature checks.
The step beyond what most other casinos in the world though is a requirement for visitors to show a negative nucleic acid test, proving they don’t have Covid-19. The same test has been required of Chinese nationals returning to their home country from abroad. Fake tests will get visitors a meeting with the police.
This meeting came as the Individual Visa Scheme continues to open up travel opportunities between Macau and China. Individuals and groups have been allowed to visit from Zuhai since August 12, and this meeting comes as the scheme opened up to the entirety of Guangdong Province on August 16. The rest of China will rejoin the scheme on September 23.
But it’s unclear if tourists will come flooding back, as surveys have shown potential Chinese travelers might be gun-shy about pulling the trigger on a trip during these times. The SAR is current averaging 7,100 tourists per day, not a significant increase since Zhuhai was opened up as a travel partner.
