CASINO China’s gambling mecca of Macao into a ghost town 4 years ago Samuel Post Views: 799 There isn’t a single face exposed in the cavernous Galaxy casino. Everyone is wearing a mask, including the croupiers, waitresses and security guards — who happen to vastly outnumber the scattered customers gambling at blackjack and roulette tables. Visitors only momentarily drop their masks at the entrances to the casino, to pose for thermal cameras on the lookout for the deadly Wuhan coronavirus that has killed hundreds of people in mainland China and infected thousands more. The outbreak has left the free-wheeling, semi-autonomous Chinese territory of Macao shell-shocked. Last year, the city received almost 40 million visitors. Now, streets and squares once teeming with tourists from mainland China are empty. Ambulances roam the city, operated by emergency workers dressed in hazardous materials suits. Ghost town According to the Macao government, January tourism figures plunged 87% compared to the previous year, even though the busiest holiday of the year — Lunar New Year — fell in that period. Hotels that were nearly at 100% capacity during the 2019 Lunar New Year were left half empty. The health scare has threatened the business model at the heart of Macao’s economy. The unofficial gambling capital of the world depends on millions of visitors from mainland China. But now administrators are trying to ensure that the deadly new coronavirus first discovered last December in the Chinese city of Wuhan does not take root in this tiny former Portuguese colony. n January, police went from hotel to hotel, rounding up hundreds of visitors from Hubei province, where Wuhan is located. Each person was given a choice: either go home or go into quarantine for two weeks. As of February 1, the dragnet had failed to track down more than 100 tourists from the region. “We are still targeting different Hubei tourists,” – Chio Song Un, Macao’s police commissioner, said at a press conference on Friday. At that briefing, 11 officials from the city government sat wearing masks, addressing a room full of journalists who had been instructed to also cover their faces. Ao Leong Lu, Macao’s secretary for social affairs and culture, urged residents to avoid gathering in large numbers. Her administration also announced schools would be closed indefinitely. “I never saw this in my life and I’ve been here since 1981,” – Albano Martins, an economist who worked in the city’s administration when it was still a Portuguese colony, told CNN. He warned that Macao faces a major threat to its economy: “If this effect still continue for two, three months more, we may have a two-digit contraction.” Source: cnn.com About Post Author Samuel I am a journalist specializing in gambling in Africa and around the world. I am particularly interested in stories about games and casinos. See author's posts SamuelI am a journalist specializing in gambling in Africa and around the world. I am particularly interested in stories about games and casinos. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Print Tags: Macau, wirus Continue Reading Previous Casino operators in Kenya could experience downturn in revenue 2020Next NOVOMATIC starts 40th Anniversary Countdown at ICE Totally Gaming More Stories CASINO UGANDA Kampala`s Underworld in Casinos 6 days ago Szarlot CASINO EXPERTS Do People Actually Win Money Playing Slots? 3 weeks ago Szarlot CASINO SOUTH AFRICA A comparative analysis of land casinos, online casinos in South Africa 2024 3 weeks ago Szarlot CASINO WORLD NEWS Novomatic has appointed Stefan Krenn as a new member of its Executive Board 4 weeks ago Iwo Bulski CASINO WORLD NEWS Macau: Casinos set for bumper month 4 weeks ago Szarlot CASINO WORLD NEWS Czech regulator confirms Prague slot machine ban now in effect 1 month ago Iwo Bulski CASINO ONLINE TGCasino Bringing Global Sports Gaming to Africa With TGC Token 1 month ago Samuel CASINO HISTORY Top 7 Biggest Wins in Gambling History 1 month ago Samuel CASINO SOUTH AFRICA Springbok Casino Celebrates Leap Year with Leaping Wildlife Feature 2 months ago Szarlot CASINO HISTORY How Las Vegas Became a Gambling Mecca 2 months ago Iwo Bulski CASINO WORLD NEWS Galactic X-perience: NOVOMATIC skyrockets into new gaming spheres at ICE 2024 2 months ago Iwo Bulski CASINO WORLD NEWS The International Casino Conference opens ICE 2024 2 months ago Iwo Bulski Leave a Reply Cancel replyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Email * Website Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.