Macau’s Health Bureau has closed The Grand Lisboa hotel following 13 confirmed Covid cases among the hotel’s staff and confirmed the hotel as the 18th COVID cluster in the island territory.
This is the first time since 2020 that a casino has been forced to close its doors due to a Covid outbreak as Macau struggles with what has been reported as the worst outbreak since the start of the pandemic.
In a statement issued on Tuesday night, Grand Lisboa operator and owner SJM Resorts said:
“With regard to Grand Lisboa being listed as Red Code Zone, SJM Resorts, S.A. reaffirms its commitment in proactively implementing the anti-epidemic measures, and in strict accordance with the guidelines as stipulated by the Macau SAR Government.
SJM has always, and will continue, to maintain close communication with the Health Bureau and the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) to support the authorities’ pandemic control measures, and holding the health and safety of its employees and all visitors top priority. SJM stands united with the entire community in this health crisis and wishes Macau a rapid recovery from the pandemic.”
Since the casino closed at 6pm local time, the number of Covid cases has increased to 1,087 with 146 new cases identified in the last 24 hours. Of the new cases, 107 were in the local community with 59 of those coming from key groups that work in areas such as cleaning, security, and management of customer-facing businesses.
The latest outbreak comes at a time when casino operators in Macau are struggling as financial forecasts paint a bleak picture of mounting debt despite the reopening of properties.
Based in London, Natasha is a former sports journalist with experience working for some of the biggest athletes & brands in the world of sports and iGaming.