The Macau government has ordered the city’s casinos to shut temporarily, coinciding with the expected 5pm Tuesday hoisting of tropical cyclone Signal No.8 before the overnight approach of Super Typhoon Ragasa.
The shutdown order was via a Macau Chief Executive dispatch, published at midday on Tuesday.
In it, the city’s leader, Sam Hou Fai (pictured in a file photo) said casino closure would help in “protecting the lives and property” of Macau’s population.
A Macau chief executive has discretionary powers to suspend casino operations in emergencies, including typhoons, though these powers have been used sparingly.
Macau casino operators were being asked on this occasion to ensure – for safety reasons – the orderly evacuation of staff and guests from gaming venues two hours before the anticipated hoisting of Signal No.8. That is according to the city’s casino regulator, the Gaming Inspection and Coordination, via commentary in a Monday press release anticipating Tuesday’s arrangements.
The evacuation of guests from a number of gaming resorts had started as early as midday on Tuesday, according to comment to GGRAsia from a local gaming labour group, New Macau Gaming Staff Rights Association.
The association also noted that casino shift workers employed by the six operators – in particular workers originally scheduled to go on duty after 3pm on Tuesday – had already been notified to stay at home.
In a Tuesday morning briefing, Macau’s Secretary for Security, Wong Sio Chak – tasked with coordinating civil protection efforts – urged the city’s private sector to let their employees leave their workplace prior to the hoisting of Signal No.8 at 5pm.
Already by lunchtime on Tueday, many police were present in residential neighbourhoods near the Inner Harbour – one of the city’s most flood-prone areas and badly hit in August 2017 by another super typhoon, Typhoon Hato – advising traders on safe shuttering of their premises.
Mr Wong mentioned in his Tuesday morning update, that the Macau authorities were talking to their counterpart in the neighbouring mainland city Zhuhai about temporarily shutting the border checkpoints between he two cities, in response to the typhoon threat.
Boundary crossing service at Macau’s inland checkpoints linking to Zhuhai’s Gongbei Port, Hengqin Port and Qingmao Port are to be suspended from 7pm on Tuesday until further notice, said Macau Customs in a Tuesday afternoon update.
(Updated 3:32pm, Sept 23)
