Casino operations at Marina Bay Sands (MBS) have been suspended until further notice as Singapore battles to contain a growing COVID-19 outbreak.
The integrated resort posted a notice on its website early Thursday morning revealing that its casino would be closed as of 6am in order to “facilitate deep cleaning.” It is expected the casino will remain closed until 5 August.
Other facilities at MBS remain open but with restricted operations. According to the notice, Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands is now subject to a limit of one person per 16 square meters, events at Sands Expo are capped at 100 attendees and all attractions are operating at 25% capacity.
The suspension of casino operations comes after the Ministry of Health confirmed Thursday that there were 15 cases of COVID-19 linked to MBS, with special testing operations to be put in place for all staff.
“Marina Bay Sands has placed regular testing of our staff and contractors as a top priority,” the company notice says. “We have an enhanced polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing regime for all team members working on property. Rostered Routine Testing (RRT) takes place every 14 or 28 days, based on job profiles and risk exposure.”
MBS said its new measures were aimed at supporting the government’s efforts after Singapore returned to Phase 2 (heightened alert) measures earlier this week. Another 178 cases were reported on Wednesday, just below the 182 reported Tuesday – the sovereign state’s highest single daily tally in 2021. Most cases have been linked to a local fishing port.
Singapore’s other integrated resort, Resorts World Sentosa, also updated its COVID-19 information overnight, confirming it was implementing capacity restrictions across most of the resort and closing the majority of restaurants. Those restaurants still in operation are currently serving takeaway only, it said.
This is the second time in two months that MBS has closed its casino for cleaning, with two dealers having tested positive for COVID-19 in May. The company responded at the time by testing 7,450 staff and 800 contractors, with all returning negative results.
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