Macau Orders Temporary Closure of its Casinos over Coronavirus Concerns

The government of Macau has ordered the temporary closure of all its casinos. The move is a response to the spread of the deadly coronavirus. Macau has reported 10 confirmed cases of coronavirus. The latest case involves a gaming industry employee.

The closure was announced by Ho Iat-seng, Macau’s chief executive, who only took office in December. He announced that casinos would be closed for an initial two weeks, but said that they may remain mothballed if the virus continues to spread.

“This is a difficult decision, but we have to do it, for the health of our Macau residents,” Ho said.

Many of the casinos are also vast hotel, entertainment and conference facilities, known as integrated resorts. Closing the hotels, as well as the gaming facilities, would be a massive upheaval.

In 2019, Macau welcomed 35 million visitors to its 41 casinos. While Macau has attempted to diversify away from gambling, notably through the establishment of the International Film Festival & Awards Macao, its casino gambling industry is vast.