BEIJING (AP) — Macau, an Asian gambling hub, will close all of its casinos for a week starting Monday and largely confine people to their homes in an attempt to stem an outbreak of COVID-19 it has infected more than 1,400 people in the past three weeks.
All businesses were ordered to close except for supermarkets and other essential services. Residents were required to stay home except to buy food or if they worked in a sector deemed essential.
Macau, a semi-autonomous Chinese region like nearby Hong Kong, was facing its first major outbreak of the pandemic. The city of 680,000 people recorded 93 new cases on Saturday, bringing the total for this outbreak to 1,467.
The former Portuguese colony has followed a version of China’s “zero COVID” strategy, confining buildings with infected people and conducting massive rounds of tests to identify and isolate those infected.
Authorities warned that police would patrol the streets and offenders would face penalties, according to Macau media reports. Anyone leaving the house was required to wear a mask, and adults were required to use an N95 or equivalent.
The measures announced on Saturday extended the restrictions imposed on June 23. The previous order closed hairdressers, gyms, cinemas, bars, nightclubs and other entertainment venues, and prohibited eating in restaurants, which could only serve takeout or delivery.
Macau’s economy relies heavily on its casinos and related businesses, hit hard by the pandemic. Gaming revenue partially recovered last year, but remains well below pre-pandemic levels.
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