Hotels at four Cotai casino resorts exited with effect from Monday (August 1), their involvement in the Macau government’s hotel-quarantine programme, the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) has confirmed to GGRAsia. The capacity of the quarantine-hotel network had been expanded a few weeks ago, to help limit a community outbreak of Covid-19, the largest since the pandemic crisis began in 2020.
“East wing of Grand Lisboa Palace, B1 Tower of Grand Hyatt, Parisian Macao hotel, and Studio City hotel have already been discharged of their role as a medical observation hotel,” said the tourism bureau on Tuesday in response to an enquiry from GGRAsia.
The ‘east wing’ refers to part of an own-brand hotel at Grand Lisboa Palace, a venue run by SJM Holdings Ltd; Parisian Macao is the signature hotel of a French-themed property operated by Sands China Ltd; the B1 Tower at the Grand Hyatt Macau, is at City of Dreams, run by Melco Resorts and Entertainment Ltd; and Studio City is majority-owned by Melco Resorts.
The community-wide Covid-19 outbreak that started on June 18, has generated over 1,800 infections to now, though no new community infections have been reported since July 23.
On Tuesday, a statement in Macau’s Official Gazette confirmed that the city’s Chief Executive, Ho Iat Seng, had that day ordered an official end to the so-called ‘state of immediate prevention’ regarding Covid-19 countermeasures, and which had been in place since June 19.
Macau’s casinos had been closed for 12 days in July as a Covid-19 counterstep. Most reopened on July 23, with limited operations and with business volumes seen depressed, as travel restrictions constrained the number of visitors from mainland China, the main feeder market.
Leisure facilities in Macau, including non-gaming amenties at Macau casino hotels such as spas and swimming pools, have been permitted since Tuesday (August 2) to reopen, after being ordered to suspend activity during the outbreak.
Operators of such non-gaming sites must however – as a condition of reopening – impose a limit on the number of users, and check the respective body temperature of the people. Patrons must also show a ‘negative’ nucleic acid test result based on a sample provided within three days of intended entry. That is according to a Tuesday press release from MGTO.
Broadway Macau, a Cotai hotel operated by Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd, is now serving as a facility for individuals with a ‘yellow’ Macau electronic health code, tourism bureau official Lau Fong Chi told the media in a Tuesday briefing on the city’s latest Covid-19 situation.
Such a code means an individual is subject to local health authority checks for any links to people or places affected by Covid-19. A person with a yellow code cannot enter certain places including government offices, restaurants and leisure facilities.
Broadway Macau has been part of the city’s quarantine-hotel network since July 13.
(Updated Aug 2, 6:07pm)
