Image: Reuters Berita 24 English - As authorities in the largest gaming hub in the world struggle to manage its largest epidemic since the ...
 |
| Image: Reuters |
Berita 24 English - As authorities in the largest gaming hub in the world struggle to manage its largest epidemic since the pandemic started, Macau reported 89 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, bringing the total to more than 900 infections since mid-June.
The Chinese Special Administrative Region, which has essentially shut down to stop the spread of the coronavirus, has more than 13,000 individuals under quarantine.
This week, the city's more than 600,000 citizens must submit to three COVID-19 exams, with quick antigen testing being administered in between each test.
The majority of facilities are closed, and restaurants can only offer takeout, even though the former Portuguese colony has not implemented the full-scale lockdown witnessed in mainland Chinese cities like Shanghai.
To protect jobs, only Macau's casinos have been permitted to remain open. The majority of the population is directly or indirectly employed by the casino resorts, and the government depends on the business for more than 80% of its tax revenue.
Although casinos are open in appearance, there aren't many patrons inside, and there aren't many staffers working; many have been advised to stay at home at the government's request.
After an outbreak in October 2021, Macau has experienced a significant decline in COVID cases, prompting the strict precautions. Its economy is firmly dependent on the influx of Chinese tourists and yet has an open border with the Chinese mainland.
Macau follows China's "zero-COVID" policy, which goes against the general trend of trying to coexist with the virus by aiming to eradicate all outbreaks at pretty much any cost.
Even in neighbouring Hong Kong, where cases have increased to more than 2,000 a day this month, it still has far fewer cases than other places that see daily infections.
The one public hospital in Macau, nevertheless, is already overburdened with daily patients. In order to deal with the increase in cases, officials built a temporary hospital near to the city's Cotai Strip in the style of Las Vegas.
