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Coronavirus Shuts Down Macau’s Casinos, China Infections Now Top 20,000

The world’s biggest gambling hub shuts it doors for at least two weeks while authorities try to get control of the deadly outbreak.

Macau, the world’s biggest gambling hub, will shut the doors of all of its mega-casinos for at least two weeks to help stop the spread of the deadly coronavirus. The city is a Special Administrative Region of China to the east of Hong Kong, where the second death from the coronavirus outside of China was confirmed early Tuesday. The Hong Kong fatality took the official death toll from the virus to 427, and the total number of people infected around the globe has now surpassed 20,000. There have been 10 cases confirmed in Macau, but no deaths so far. City Chief Executive Ho Iat-seng said the gambling industry will initially shutter for two weeks, but the period will be extended if the virus continues to spread. “This is a difficult decision but we have to do it, for the health of our Macau residents,” he told reporters. Macau is the only Chinese territory where gambling is allowed and its gambling industry is around seven times larger than that of Las Vegas, the world’s second biggest gambling center.