The crowds may have been smaller, but there was a distinct sense of déjà vu in the re-opening of Macau’s casinos at midnight on Thursday – a flashback to the famous launch of Sands Macao in 2004.
Fifteen minutes before the casino at Grand Lisboa welcomed back guests for the first time in 15 days, casino staff removed suspension notices as guests gathered outside in anticipation.
Then, at the stroke of midnight, the large steel shutters slowly rolled up to reveal the colorful lights and sounds of Grand Lisboa’s usually buzzing main gaming floor.
Unlike Sands Macao some 16 years ago, there was no mad rush, no broken doors or malfunctioning escalators this time around, with guests now required to wear face masks and make health declarations before entering Macau’s casinos in accordance with health authority requirements. Casino staff were quickly kept busy checking each guests’ body temperature before assisting them in filling out their health declaration forms.
A tourist from Shandong province said he had stayed in Zhuhai for several days while waiting for the casinos to re-open but added he was confident the safety measures being implemented on gaming floors would assure guest safety.
A local resident told IAG the past two weeks had been “so boring” and that he had been anxiously awaiting re-opening after 15 days at home.
