The Macau Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) has announced that it has extended the enforced closure of the island territory’s casinos for a further five days until midnight on July 23rd.
The DICJ closed the Casino Lisboa on July 5th following a covid outbreak among staff members. Then, just a couple of days later and with covid cases throughout Macau steadily rising, the authority made the decision to close all casinos.
According to the DICJ, the first lockdown was due to end today, Monday July 18th. However, despite covid cases dropping rapidly over the last few days, the government has opted to extend the lockdown by a further five days.
The extended lockdown is subject to the approval of chief executive Ho Lat-Seng, but there are no indications that it will be extended further.
Official data released by Macau’s health authority states that there has been more than 1,500 cases since June and that during that time over 19,000 people were in quarantine.
Olivia has worked as an editor and writer for major brands across multiple niches. She now focuses on the iGaming and sports betting industries.