Macau's MGM Cotai casino reopens after all staff and guests test negative for Covid

Last Week, Macau's MGM Cotai casino was ordered to shut down for three days with a total of 1,500 staff and guests ordered to stay inside after a dealer was found to be infected with COVID. The casino has now reopened, opening its doors to the public again on Wednesday, November 2.

Since the lockdown was lifted, most of the people that had remained on site have been allowed to leave after testing negative for Covid-19. However, authorities said they will still have to undergo daily tests for the "next few days". Of the total, about 80 people will have to remain in quarantine, as they were considered to be at higher risk of infection due to their close contact with the confirmed patient.

Having confirmed about a dozen cases over the last few days, the gaming hub has now undergone mass testing of the city's entire population. A round of mass PCR tests of Macau’s 700,000 people on Wednesday found all samples negative for the virus. Another round of mass tests will be conducted on Friday and Saturday, the government said, according to Reuters.

MGM Cotai

As part of China's strict measures against Covid, currently, to cross the Macau border with Zhuhai, a Covid-19 test certificate with 24-hour validity is required. Furthermore, any person traveling to Zhuhai from Macau must also make "an advanced health declaration" via the official channels of the Zhuhai health authorities. They are also required to do three tests in three days after arriving in Zhuhai and must do a "three-day self-monitoring of health at home," avoiding going out unless necessary.

Macau’s Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre said the Covid-19 test validity period for crossing the Macau-Zhuhai boundary might "be resumed to 48 hours" from November 5, provided that the "epidemic-related development becomes stable." Macao adheres to China's “Covid-zero” policy which seeks to immediately curb any outbreaks.