Internet casino hub Macao commences third round associated with COVID-19 testing as infections rise

Casinos, while mostly deserted, are allowed to stay open, the city’s government said, in a move to protect local jobs.

The stringent measures come after the Chinese special administrative region has been largely COVID-free since an outbreak in October 2021. It has not previously had to deal with the highly transmissible Omicron variant.

Macao adheres to China’s “zero-COVID” policy which usually aims to remove all outbreaks, at just about any price, running counter to some global trend of trying to co-exist with all the virus.

Macao’s cases are still significantly below daily infections in other places, which includes neighbouring Hong Kong exactly where cases have hopped to close to 2, 000 a day this month.

Hong Kong’s outbreak this season saw more than 1 million confirmed bacterial infections, and more than nine, 000 deaths, swamping hospitals and general public services. Officials there are looking to ease some restrictions.

Macao only has a single public hospital with its services already expanded on a daily basis. The territory’s swift plan to check its population provides it keeps open the border with mainland China, with many residents living plus working in the adjacent city of Zhuhai.