The Macau Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) has instructed casinos to significantly decrease their workforce by 90% due to the city’s most severe Covid-19 surge since the start of the pandemic. This action, part of a wider order to briefly scale back overall activities by 10%, seeks to guarantee sufficient personnel are away from work to limit possible spread.
Although characterized as short-term, this news arrives as a setback for casino employees and executives already struggling with the financial consequences of the pandemic. Regional sources indicate this reduction will be implemented from July 1st to 8th, 2022, although it’s probable to be prolonged if the circumstances don’t get better.
The DICJ hasn’t officially verified these steps, but a statement is anticipated shortly. This development comes after the June 30th choice to substitute mandatory PCR tests every 48 hours for construction and casino staff with the more practical rapid antigen tests, a change driven by the logistical difficulties and congestion at testing sites.
By the conclusion of June 30th, 2022, Macau experienced an additional 66 COVID-19 infections, increasing the overall count of verified infections to 638.