Macau steps up COVID testing as infections surge

Author of the article: HONG KONG — Macau kicked off a new round of COVID-19 testing for its more than 600,000 residents on Monday, as officials in the world’s biggest gambling hub raced to limit spiraling infections in the city’s worst outbreak since the pandemic began. All residents face three rounds of tests this week,…
Macau steps up COVID testing as infections surge

Author of the article:

HONG KONG — Macau kicked off a new round of COVID-19 testing for its more than 600,000 residents on Monday, as officials in the world’s biggest gambling hub raced to limit spiraling infections in the city’s worst outbreak since the pandemic began.

All residents face three rounds of tests this week, in addition to rapid antigen tests, as Monday’s 68 new infections took the tally in the former Portuguese colony to 852 since the middle of June. About 12,000 people are in quarantine.

Although the Chinese special administrative region has not ordered a full-scale lockdown of the kind imposed in mainland cities such as the business hub of Shanghai, Macau is already largely closed.

Non-essential government services are shut, with schools, parks, sports and entertainment facilities closed, while restaurants may only provide takeaway items.

However, Macau has allowed casinos to stay open to ensure job security in an industry that generates more than 80% of government income by employing most of the city’s population, whether directly or indirectly.

Still, punters are scarce and the casinos have very few staff, with many employees staying home in line with a government directive.

Analysts said the six operators, Sands China, Wynn Macau, MGM China, Melco Resorts, Galaxy Entertainment, SJM Holding are likely to have no income for several weeks beause of the measures.

Macau had been largely free of COVID-19 since an outbreak in October 2021. It follows China’s “zero-COVID” policy that aims to eradicate all outbreaks at just about any cost, but runs counter to a global trend of trying to co-exist with the virus.

Its infections are still far below those elsewhere, including the neighboring global financial hub of Hong Kong, which has seen daily cases jump to more than 2,000 this month.

However, the services of its sole public hospital are severely stretched. The territory has an open border with mainland China, with many residents living and working in the adjoining city of Zhuhai.

About 600 Chinese health workers have come to Macau to assist coronavirus efforts. Officials have set up a makeshift hospital next to the city’s Las Vegas-style Cotai strip to help cope.

(Reporting by Farah Master; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Clarence Fernandez)

Financial Post Top Stories

Sign up to receive the daily top stories from the Financial Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.

By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300

Read More

Total
0
Shares
Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Related Posts
China stocks fall as foreign inflows come to a halt
Read More

China stocks fall as foreign inflows come to a halt

SHANGHAI — China stocks fell on Friday, with foreign funds halting their buying spree after nearly one month of net inflows, as investors examined China’s economic recovery after an expectation-led shares rally. ** China’s blue-chip CSI 300 Index lost 1.7% by the end of the morning session, while the Shanghai Composite Index was down 1.4%.…
Feds seized nearly $700 million from FTX founder Bankman-Fried
Read More

Feds seized nearly $700 million from FTX founder Bankman-Fried

Federal prosecutors have seized nearly $700 million in assets from FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried in January, largely in the form of Robinhood stock, according to a Friday court filing. Bankman-Fried, who has been accused of stealing billions of dollars from FTX customers to pay debts incurred by his crypto-focused hedge fund, has pleaded not guilty…
Russia Atomic Curbs Weighed by Biden Threaten Industry Upheaval
Read More

Russia Atomic Curbs Weighed by Biden Threaten Industry Upheaval

Author of the article: Bloomberg News Jonathan Tirone and Stephen Stapczynski (Bloomberg) — Sanctions targeting Moscow’s nuclear industry that are being weighed by the Biden administration are fraught with risk for European and U.S. utilities that rely on reactor fuel from Russia. The White House is considering sanctions on Russia’s state-owned atomic energy company, Rosatom…