Macau’s Mayor Ho Iat Sen has issued an executive order lifting the Special Administrative Region’s Covid-19 lockdown measures, which have been in place since July 11.
The government’s decision means public services and social venues such as cinemas, theaters, bars, restaurants and nightclubs will reopen after nine days when no cases have been recorded in the city.
there was a casino closed As the initial lockdown was escalated, it resumed on July 23rd, but the practice has decreased as stay-at-home orders continue.
The lockdown has had a severe economic impact on Macau, with gambling revenues down 86% from June to MOP398m (£40.2m/€48m/$49.2m), a record low. did.
Venues will be allowed to operate in principle, but in practice restrictions will continue to apply that may prevent a return to business as usual.
Residents are required to wear a mask when leaving their residence and must show a recent negative Covid test to be allowed into most social gatherings.
The outbreak in Macau was the city’s first experience with the fast-moving omicron Covid variant. China’s ongoing “Covid-zero” policy means that even relatively small outbreaks by Western standards can be catalysts for draconian government action.
new framework
Despite the general collapse of Macau’s gaming industry due to COVID-19 measures, Macau has begun making a number of changes to how sectors are organized within the city.
In June, Macau’s Legislative Assembly passed the biggest gambling sector reform package since casinos were first liberalized in 2002.
However, the new regulations will remove the sub-concessionaire model but keep the system of six operators.
In addition to changes to the licensing regulatory framework, the new rules give chief executives the discretion to grant tax breaks to concessionaires, especially if casinos are successful in attracting international conventions.
With these reforms, the city has announced the start of an open bidding process for all six of the city’s concessionaires. This kicks off a race for part of the industry whose annual GGR reached his $36.5 billion in 2019, the year before the pandemic.
