Covid-19: Macau tells many businesses to close, but casinos can stay open

June 24, 2022 Macau Crime & Legal

Macau tightened social distancing restrictions on Thursday — closing almost everything except casinos — as the Chinese gambling hub embarked on another round of citywide testing to battle a Covid-19 outbreak.

Case numbers are small by global comparison, with only 110 announced since the most recent outbreak began, but authorities have moved quickly to stamp out transmission as they follow mainland China’s strict zero-Covid policy.

The virus has been kept largely under control in Macau but leader Ho Iat-seng
said Thursday the situation was now “more complicated and more serious than ever before”.

After 48 hours of mass testing that ended Tuesday, the city has ordered all residents to undergo another round starting Thursday.

Bars, cinemas, nightclubs, hair and beauty salons, gyms and sports grounds were told to close.

All restaurants have been forced to suspend dine-in services and the school year has been ended early after classes were halted at the beginning of the week.

Government buildings and banks remain closed too.