Casinos in Macau, which reopened on Thursday, have respected and are implementing security measures to prevent the new coronavirus, the region’s health authorities said.
Several casinos and tourism complexes run by licensees in what is the world’s gambling capital were inspected on Thursday by the authorities, health officials confirmed at a news conference.
Casinos have strictly followed government instructions relating to precautions regarding the new coronavirus, they said.
One third of Macau’s casinos reopened on Thursday, but few gamblers ventured into them. Most clients normally come from mainland China, where the Covid-19 virus has already caused 2,118 deaths and infected 74,576 people.
Travellers from mainland China are currently not being issued with visas to enter Macau and anyway border restrictions are in place. Flights have also been cancelled in large numbers and in unpredictable fashion since the outbreak began late last year, hitting Macau resorts hard.
According to figures released by the region’s government at the news conference, on Thursday some 2,000 tourists entered a territory that normally has around three million visitors per month.
An increased effort in cleaning and disinfection operations, greater distances between gaming tables to reduce the risk of contagion, an obligation for everyone to have their body temperature measured and to sign a health declaration were among the impositions of the Macau authorities.
Access to casinos is also forbidden to anyone who has been in Hubei province, where the coronavirus epidemic started.
Other bans include no betting while standing or large gatherings, with a minimum distance between players required. In addition to the traditional tables, some electronic gaming machines have also been deactivated to ensure a safe distance between gamblers.
Clients from countries other than China have been staying away from Macau even though there have been no new cases in the territory for 16 consecutive days.
Today, at the same news conference, the region’s director of health, Lei Chin Ion, claimed that “Macau has a reduced risk of contagion” from the new coronavirus. There is, though, some risk because of neighbouring territories, so the authorities will remain vigilant, he said.
The number of Covid-19 coronavirus infections in Macau fell on Wednesday to four after a patient was discharged from hospital, health officials announced. He had been in hospital for 28 days in Wuhan, in mainland China, where the new coronavirus, which has killed over 2,000 people so far, almost all in China, began.
Of the 10 cases so far registered in Macau, he is the sixth patient to be discharged.
Of the 1,480 suspected cases in Macau, 1,462 have been ruled out by the authorities, with eight still waiting for test results. There are currently no people in quarantine.
In the last 24 hours a total of 138 tests have been carried out, health officials said, stressing that this was the 16th day with no new cases in the territory.
The authorities also announced that they will gradually start reopening some public parks, while reiterating their call to the population to avoid leaving their homes unnecessarily and stressing that the fight against the epidemic is not yet over.
The Covid-19 coronavirus has so far infected more than 75,000 people worldwide. Most of the cases occurred in China, where the new virus was detected in late 2019.
In addition to 2,118 deaths in mainland China, three people have died in Japan, two in Hong Kong, two in Iran, one in the Philippines, one in France, one in Taiwan and one in South Korea.
