Macau's Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre said on 30 October 2022 that a 43-year-old female dealer at the MGM Macau casino in Cotai had tested positive for COVID-19, and ordered the suspension of operations at her workplace until further notice1.
The center said the woman is a Macau resident who was classified as an imported case after epidemiological investigation. She had tested negative on 24 and 26 October, and worked shifts at the casino from 7am to 3pm on 26 October, 7am to 3pm on 27 October and 7am to 11am on 28 October1. Her positive result came from a nucleic acid test in the early hours of 30 October, and she was sent to the Public Health Clinical Centre at Alto de Coloane for further treatment1.
The measures applied to the workplace, in the center's words, were:
"The casino is suspended from operating"
The full list of measures, which the center said would stay in place until further notice, covers the casino, the hotel restaurants, the shops inside the hotel, all gathering activities in the hotel, and the intake of new guests1. Casino and hotel staff and hotel guests were placed under on-site isolation from 30 October to 1 November1.
| Measure | Detail |
|---|---|
| Casino operations | Suspended until further notice1 |
| Hotel restaurants | Suspended until further notice1 |
| Shops inside the hotel | Suspended until further notice1 |
| Gatherings in the hotel | Suspended1 |
| New guest check-ins | Suspended1 |
| Staff and guests | On-site isolation, 30 October to 1 November1 |
Separately, anyone who stayed in the casino for more than 30 minutes between 27 and 29 October was placed under testing requirements. Their Macau health code turns yellow, they must take one rapid antigen test a day and report the result through the health code, and only a negative result allows them to go to a testing station for a nucleic acid test1. They must take nucleic acid tests on day 1 (30 October) and on days 2, 3, 5 and 7, and their health code returns to green on day 8 if the day 7 test is negative1.
What it means for players
For anyone inside MGM Macau at the time, the practical effect was immediate: the casino floor, its restaurants and its shops stopped operating, no new guests could check in, and staff and guests already there were held on site from 30 October to 1 November1. Players who spent more than half an hour in the casino between 27 and 29 October fell under a separate testing regime, with a yellow health code, daily rapid tests and nucleic acid tests on a fixed schedule1. A yellow code restricts movement in Macau, and the free tests arranged for this group cannot be used for immigration clearance or uploaded to the health code, while a self-paid test can be1.
The suspension applied to this property only. The announcement does not say whether other casinos in Macau were affected, and no reopening date was given1.
What happens next
The measures at the workplace remain in force until further notice, with no date set for reopening1. Affected staff and guests were due to leave isolation after 1 November1. People covered by the testing requirement reach a green health code on day 8 if their day 7 nucleic acid test is negative1. No further steps beyond these were announced1.
Sources1 sources
- NEWS GOV-MO: 對今早新增1例輸入性個案工作地點採取的防疫措施, gcs.gov.mo
