Coronavirus concern prompts temporary closure of Vietnamese casinos

The threat of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has reportedly prompted the government of Vietnam to institute a range of social distancing measures and order every one of its casinos to temporarily shut.

According to a report from GGAsia, the decision was announced by Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc yesterday and includes the complete closure of all non-essential businesses as well as a public ban on gatherings of more than two people. The quarantine call purportedly also encompassed a request for citizens to stay at home for all but essential travel such as to buy food or medicines.

Deadly dilemma:

Over 200 people in Vietnam are now thought to have contracted the potentially-lethal coronavirus strain that has so far killed over 44,000 people across the globe while GGRAsia reported that the Asian nation’s resultant casino closure is not set to be lifted until at least April 15.

Swift submission:

The 3,000-room Corona Resort and Casino is one of the few properties in Vietnam that allows locals to gamble alongside foreign tourists and it used an official Tuesday press release to declare that it had responded to the government order by temporarily shuttering its casino along with ‘all indoor and outdoor activities’ such as its amusement park, spa and theatre. Located on the southern island of Phu Quoc, the venue proclaimed that ‘employees always remain our top priority’ and that it had moreover instituted a range of government-recommended measures including ‘tighter safe distancing.’

Financial fallout:

Asian boutique casino operator Donaco International Limited reportedly issued a filing earlier today (pdf) in which it revealed that its gambling-friendly Aristo International Hotel in the Vietnamese city of Lao Cai had now been completely shut. The Sydney-listed firm had already instituted a series of coronavirus-related lay-offs at the facility located less than a mile from the border crossing into China’s Yunnan Province and stated that this shuttering along with the associated closure of its sister Star Vegas Resort and Club venue in neighboring Cambodia would likely ‘have a material impact’ on its business.