Macau reimposes Covid curbs as infections creep up

Covid In Macau: Authorities locked down the MGM Cotai casino resort owned by MGM China on Sunday with staff and guests ordered to stay inside until Nov 1.

Macau authorities reinstated tough COVID-19 curbs including locking down a major casino over the weekend after a handful of cases were detected, even as China announced a loosening of visa rules for visitors to the world's biggest gambling hub.

Covid In Macau A security guard controls the entrance to a bank in the Fai Chi Kei area.(Bloomberg)

Authorities locked down the MGM Cotai casino resort owned by MGM China on Sunday with staff and guests ordered to stay inside until Nov 1. All of Macau's 700,000 residents are mandated to take rapid antigen tests daily during the period, the government said.

The casino closure deals a blow to operators who have already been grappling with China's "zero COVID" restrictions for more than two and a half years, losing millions of dollars monthly.

Macau has been coronavirus-free for more than three months until last week. The swift return of curbs marks a potential setback for industry executives and investors who were keen for a quick recovery in gambling revenues in the Chinese special administrative region.

The prospects for travel to Macau have improved, however, with China's immigration bureau saying on Monday that mainland residents would be able to use an online visa system from Nov. 1 to travel to the former Portuguese colony.

Any operators unable to secure a new licence would be required to return their premises to the government. New licence terms will be 10 years versus 20 years previously, giving operators a shorter horizon to make back billions of dollars they have to invest under the government's mandate.