The Macau Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) instructed casinos to function with a significantly reduced workforce (90%) due to the city’s most severe COVID-19 surge since the pandemic’s start. This order, part of a broader strategy to limit viral transmission, necessitates a brief 10% decrease in overall casino activities, leaving many workers unoccupied.
Although planned as a temporary action from July 1st to July 8th, 2022, it delivers a considerable impact on casino personnel and administration. The timeframe of these limitations might be prolonged if the circumstances don’t recover.
Heightening the ambiguity, the DICJ recently (June 30th, 2022) removed the obligation for construction and casino staff to provide negative nucleic acid test results every 48 hours. A less complex rapid antigen test is now considered adequate. This choice was taken to ease the burden on testing centers caused by the high volume of workers requiring regular tests.
Formal confirmation of the staff reduction mandate from the DICJ is pending, but a statement is anticipated shortly.
By the conclusion of June 30th, 2022, Macau reported an additional 66 individuals with positive COVID-19 diagnoses, increasing its cumulative number of infections to 638 since the outbreak’s commencement.
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