The Macau Special Administrative Region of China closed all its casinos for the first time in more than two years. This happened against the backdrop of a new outbreak of COVID-19 in the second largest gambling city in the world.
Despite the policy of extreme measures — “zero tolerance” China, the number of new cases has been on the rise in the country recently.
According to the Response and Coordination Center, a total of 1,526 new cases of coronavirus have been reported in Macau since June 18.
More than 30 Macau casinos today closed their doors for the first time since February 2020, when the downtime was 15 days.
According to the Macau city government, the activity of “all industries, commercial companies and facilities in Macau” suspended from Monday, July 11, until July 18, with the exception of enterprises of a continuous cycle and essentials.
Representatives of the Macau administration do not exclude that quarantine throughout the city can be extended, and epidemiological restrictions are strengthened depending on development situation with COVID-19.
The news of the lockdown has led to a sharp drop in all shares of the gambling industry.
The gambling sector is important for Macau's economy, and more than 80 percent of the city's income comes from it.
With a population of 681,700 and an area of 32.9 square kilometers, Macau is the most densely populated place in the world. Play area — seven times the size of Las Vegas.
Most of Macau's residents are directly or indirectly involved in the gambling industry.
Macau's gambling revenue in 2019 exceeded US$29 billion.