Macau lockdown extended by five days

In an attempt to stop a spike in the number of new Covid-19 cases, the Macau government ordered the shutdown of all casinos last week.

Now, in a new announcement, authorities said the lockdown was to be extended for another five days, set to end on July 23.

According to analysts, the 41 casinos currently operating in Macau are bound to lose $1bn due to the latest closures. However, the government said it intends to distribute $1.24bn to businesses affected.

One gaming industry analyst said the shutdown is challenging because the government of Macau is on the verge of renewing casino licences by the end of the year, which is one of the reasons the local companies aren’t commenting on the shutdown decisions.