In response to a small outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in neighboring Guangdong province, new health measures have been proposed for visitors to many hotels and casinos in the region.
The new rules also apply to restaurants and guesthouses, and all guests must wear a protective face mask on arrival and undergo an outside temperature check. Sources explained the new rules were introduced after about 100 people tested positive for coronavirus in Foshan and Guangzhou, cities near mainland China.
Macao has about 40 casinos, including SJM Holdings Limited'S Iconic Casino Grand Lisboa Event Hall and Melco Resorts & Entertainment Limited's $3.2 billion Studio City Macao development. The former Portuguese enclave was hit hard by travel restrictions and public health protections introduced last year to help fight the coronavirus pandemic, but total gaming revenue rose 492.2% year-over-year in May to just over $5.3 billion.
The Macau government's tourism agency reportedly announced the new rules yesterday, explaining that anyone entering the city from mainland China must test negative for coronavirus taken within the previous 48 hours. It has been reported that Macau hotels must quarantine people who have stayed in certain high-risk areas of Foshan and Guangzhou for at least two weeks.
The Macau Government Tourism Authority has reportedly stipulated that anyone seeking to enter a public institution must now submit a Macau health code, which is a traffic light system that outlines an individual's specific travel history, contact information, and potential symptoms before granting a designated number in green, yellow, or red. The agreement is already known to apply to bars, health clubs, spas and nightclubs, and anyone categorized in the latter two categories can be denied entry.
Macau health officials say they will work with Macau health officials to ensure public agencies are complying with the latest coronavirus measures that reflect similar directives recently issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
It declared that the revised public health policy would 'definitely weigh on demand' and would likely hamper the Macau casino industry's 'respectful sequential recovery over the past six months.'
