Philippines institutes ten-day ‘Wuhan virus’ quarantine policy

In the Philippines and officials have reportedly reacted to the recent ‘Wuhan virus’ outbreak by ordering all licensed iGaming operators to quarantine any worker returning from a nation with a confirmed case for a period of ten days.

According to a report from Inside Asian Gaming, the move from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCor) comes as the death toll from the highly-infectious coronavirus strain topped 100 and will apply to every firm holding a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) license.

International interest:

If strictly enforced, the directive would reportedly require licensed iGaming operators in the Philippines to quarantine any employee that had recently visited up to 15 countries including not only China, Thailand and South Korea but also the United States, Germany and France.

Intense inspection:

Inside Asian Gaming reported that PAGCOR is now said to be closely monitoring Chinese citizens entering the country in order to work for an iGaming firm and additionally advised such operators to exercise extreme caution when bringing such employees to the Philippines. The regulator purportedly declared that some of these enterprises had pre-empted its own directive by voluntarily prohibiting workers from areas with a recorded case of ‘Wuhan virus’ from entering the country.

Reportedly read a statement from PAGCor…

“Although the World Health Organization has not yet declared a global emergency, the Philippine government has tightened the noose on the entry of workers and tourists coming from Wuhan, China, and other countries with reported 2019 Novel coronavirus infections.”

Macau alarm:

In related news and Inside Asian Gaming moreover reported that the number of Chinese tourists visiting Macau on Sunday dropped by almost 80% year-on-year after falling by 64.7% on Saturday and 38% on Friday. The figures from the Macao Government Tourism Office were purportedly issued yesterday only hours after thousands of people were prevented from entering the city amid fears that they may have been in Hubei Province within the last two weeks.

Driving disappointment:

First recorded in early-December, ‘Wuhan virus’ is so far known to have infected approximately 4,500 people in China’s Hubei Province and its largest city, Wuhan. The deadly ailment is furthermore said to be hurting Macau due to the recent hefty drop in tourist numbers over what is usually the former Portuguese enclave’s lucrative Chinese New Year period.

Repatriation request:

It was also reported that Macau implemented a new policy on Monday that had asked some 1,493 tourists from Hubei Province to promptly leave the city or risk being relocated to a facility in the isolated seaside community of Hac Sa. It additionally reported that this measure subsequently resulted in all but 371 of the concerned visitors from the central Chinese province immediately exiting.