Macau casino Covid tests from Fri, ops pay for staff tests

June 29, 2022 Macau Crime & Legal

Macau’s casino regulator said in a Tuesday statement that a guideline regarding Covid-19 testing on anyone entering a Macau casino would come into effect at 7am on Friday (July 1).

The Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau, a body also known as DICJ, said that from that date and time, all casino patrons, casino staff, and any public servants visiting for professional purposes, would be asked to present proof of a ‘negative’ Covid-19 test result in order to be allowed to enter any of the city’s casinos. Such test must have been done within the 48 hours prior to required entry.

The step had first been flagged on Sunday by the city’s health authorities.

The government separately stated in a Tuesday morning press release that in the 24 hours of Monday, Macau had recorded 57 additional Covid-19 infection cases via ‘positive’ nucleic acid test, taking to 414 the total number of cases in the current outbreak that was announced on June 19.

Among this Monday’s new instances of infection, 33 were detected in the community, and 24 were found among individuals that were under what the authorities termed “management and control”.

As well as the 48-hour-validity nucleic acid test for casino entry in effect from this Friday, gaming company staff members will each have to do a rapid antigen test proving their Covid-19 ‘negative’ status before entering their workplace to start each shift.