Like many places around the world, Malaysia is beginning to see an unwanted resurgence of COVID-19 cases. As a result, and much to the frustration of the people, lockdown orders are being extended. They don’t prevent everyone from being able to enjoy freedom completely, but they severely limit what activities are available. As a result, Resorts World Genting (RWG) is preparing for another revenue blow, but the casino doesn’t expect to have to shut down completely.
Malaysia’s Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) has been extended until November 9 for Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Selangor and a few others. The initial goal was to be able to lift the order today, October 27, following a two-week run, but new COVID-19 cases are forcing the government’s hand. Yesterday, Malaysia set a record for the most single-day cases in the country since the outbreak began when it reported 1,240 new positive COVID-19 tests.
Most of those, 927, were on the island of Borneo, but the three cities that have been given the CMCO extension also saw some. Kuala Lumpur reported 17 cases, Penang had 61 and Selangor had 127. However, short of a government decree, RWG doesn’t feel that a complete closure is warranted, and says that it will continue normal operations as long as allowed. It emphasized, however, that individuals from hard-hit areas who had made reservations to visit the property should cancel or delay their trips, and added that it is willing to offer refunds in the event a guest decides to cancel. The casino explains in a statement, “We will continue to monitor the situation and provide necessary updates as more information becomes available. Resorts World Genting (RWG) remains open… RWG has been continuously conducting deep cleaning and thorough sanitization throughout the resort as well as adhering to the strict SOPs issued by the government. This includes observing physical distancing, wearing face masks and adopting good personal hygiene practices. We will continue to do so to ensure the health and safety of all our guests and employees.”
RWG first closed down on March 18 due to the COVID-19 outbreak in Malaysia. It had planned on staying closed until April 14, but was then forced to extend the closure indefinitely. As a result, when the casino was finally opened on June 19, the damage had already been done, and revenue in the first half of the year slipped. As the country continues to battle COVID-19, even though the casino will be open, recovery is going to continue to be an uphill battle well into the future.
