The Marina Bay Sands casino in Singapore is set to cease operation for a couple of weeks after a Covid-19 cluster was detected by local authorities. The cluster has become the latest to emerge after a coronavirus outbreak at a Singaporean fishery port that made the country’s Government bring back special measures to restrict the further spreading of the infection.
As revealed by the Health Ministry earlier today, 11 Covid-19 cases have been related to the Marina Bay Sands casino, pushing executives to make the decision to shut the venue until August 5th for deep cleaning in an attempt to prevent the virus from spreading further. The Ministry also noted that all staff members of the casino, owned by Las Vegas Sands Corp., will be subject to testing.
The notice for the closure has been posted on the website of the casino, which is part of a larger integrated resort including a hotel, luxury shopping mall, and dining area. As stated in the notice, the casino would cease operations as of 6:00 AM so that deep cleaning of the venue is facilitated and would remain closed until August 5th.
For the time being, other facilities at Marina Bay Sands are set to remain operational but their services would be restricted because of some measures aimed at tackling the further spread of the coronavirus infection. According to the gambling operator’s notice, Shoppers at the venues would be allowed to host one person per 16 square meters, while a maximum of 100 attendees is allowed for events at Sands Expo, with all attractions operating at 25% of their capacity.
Casino’s Staff and Contractors Being Regularly Tested for Covid-19, Marina Bay Sands Says
The new measures at Marina Bay Sands casino were aimed at backing the Singaporean Government’s efforts to limit the spreading of the disease after earlier this week it returned to Phase 2 measures. A total of 182 new Covid-19 cases were reported on July 20th, which was the highest single daily tally of coronavirus cases in the state so far in 2021. Another 178 new cases were reported on July 21st.
The aforementioned notice published on the casino’s website further says that regular testing of Marina Bay Sands’ employees and contractors will be held as a matter of top priority. The operator revealed that the PCR testing regime applies to all team members who work on the casino property, and Rostered Routine Testing (RRT) is held every 14 to 28 days depending on the risk exposure and employees’ job profiles.
This is the second time in only a couple of months when Marina Bay Sands has closed its casino for disinfection and cleaning after two dealers were tested Covid-19 positive in May. At the time, the gambling operator tested 7,450 staff members and 800 contractors, all of whom had negative coronavirus results.
The other integrated resort on the territory of Singapore – Resorts World Sentosa – also issued an update of its coronavirus-related information overnight. It revealed that capacity restrictions were being implemented across most of the resort and the majority of restaurants were being shut. The dining areas that are still operational are currently featuring takeaway services only.
