By Ben Blaschke
Macau’s Health Bureau has ordered the closure of The Parisian Macao’s hotel swimming pool after three guests known to have stayed at the property later contracted Legionnaires’ disease.
In a statement released over the weekend, the Health Bureau said the temporary closure was a preventative measure after it was contacted by Hong Kong health authorities. It has since conducted an inspection, taken water samples and ordered The Parisian to disinfect all of its water sources including the pool, Jacuzzis, fountains and pipes.
Two of the guests to have fallen ill stayed at the hotel between January and March while the other was there in Macau but only began showing symptoms in January.
In response to enquiries from Inside Asian Gaming, a Sands China spokesperson said, “Sands China Ltd has been contacted by the Macau Health Bureau, and is fully cooperating with their investigation. As we currently have no other details, we are not in a position to comment further at this time.”
It is unknown at this stage when the pool will re-open to the public.
Legionnaires’ disease is a form of atypical pneumonia caused by a bacteria found in fresh water.