One of the cities that is considered the top destinations for gamblers is Macau in China. In the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak in the country however, it seems that arrivals in the city have waned considerably. The fear of contracting the virus and the possibility of dying from it has kept tourists from arriving here and has hit the gambling and tourism industry of the city really bad.
This is why Macau has decided to shut down all of its casinos for at least 2-weeks or 14 days, which is said to be the maximum incubation period of the virus. This is in light of the discovery of 10 people having been infected with the new coronavirus in the city. One of the biggest reasons why the prompt call for closure was made is because one of the 10 confirmed cases in the city is a person who works in one of the casinos.
With the continued rise in the number of people infected and hundreds now succumbing to the illness, it seems that closure to prevent its spread is the most logical move. The increase in the number of tourist trip cancellations has hit the country hard and Macau is one of those that are projected to be hit with massive losses. Being one of the country’s top earners due to the gambling institutions here, a 2-week closure will result in billions of dollars in losses. As of January 2020, the earnings of this gambling mecca is down by 11% when compared with earnings in the same period last year.
Aside from the closure of casinos in the area, the local government has encouraged all residents to stay indoors as much as possible and to only venture out when truly necessary. Despite the threat of the virus however, the city hasn’t restricted travel to and from the mainland.
