Macau’s casino regulator said in a Tuesday statement that a guideline regarding Covid-19 testing on anyone entering a Macau casino would come into effect at 7am on Friday (July 1).
The Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau, a body also known as DICJ, said that from that date and time, all casino patrons, casino staff, and any public servants visiting for professional purposes, would be asked to present proof of a ‘negative’ Covid-19 test result in order to be allowed to enter any of the city’s casinos. Such test must have been done within the 48 hours prior to required entry.
The step had first been flagged on Sunday by the city’s health authorities.
The government separately stated in a Tuesday morning press release that in the 24 hours of Monday, Macau had recorded 57 additional Covid-19 infection cases via ‘positive’ nucleic acid test, taking to 414 the total number of cases in the current outbreak that was announced on June 19.
Among this Monday’s new instances of infection, 33 were detected in the community, and 24 were found among individuals that were under what the authorities termed “management and control”.
As well as the 48-hour-validity nucleic acid test for casino entry in effect from this Friday, gaming company staff members will each have to do a rapid antigen test proving their Covid-19 ‘negative’ status before entering their workplace to start each shift.
The new measures are in addition to the standard body temperature check and digital health code declaration that has been required for the past two years when customers enter Macau casino premises.
The same release cited the gaming bureau as saying the city’s six gaming operators would have to bear the cost of the rapid antigen test kits required for daily staff screening, and for the per-48-hour nucleic acid test certification required for their staff.
“Following the communication between DICJ and the gaming operators, the gaming operators are working to comply to the Macau Special Administrative Region Government’s pandemic prevention policy and have made appropriate arrangements accordingly,” added the gaming bureau.
In July 2020, Macau had imposed a Covid-19 test requirement rule for entry to the city’s casinos, in the wake of the threat of Covid-19. That condition had been lifted in March 2021, although registration via either passport or other identification document had been required for patrons, as well as the temperature and health code checks.
