This Dec 19, 2019 photo shows hotels and casinos in Macao. (EDUARDO LEAL / AFP)
HONG KONG – The government of the Macao Special Administrative Region will extend a closure of casinos and other businesses until Friday, as authorities grapple to stop the spread of COVID-19 in the community, according a statement on its website.
The restrictions had been due to end on Monday.
Authorities have set up a makeshift hospital in a sports dome near the city's Cotai strip and have around 600 medical workers from the mainland assisting them
Last week, authorities asked industrial and commercial businesses to suspend operation for a week starting July 11 as Macao has recorded around 1,700 coronavirus infections since mid-June.
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Businesses keeping the society going or offering daily necessities to residents were not affected. Residents were asked not to leave their apartments except for essential activities such as grocery shopping.
More than 20,000 people are in mandatory quarantine as the government adheres to the zero-COVID policy to ensure the safety of its residents.
More than 90 percent of Macao's 600,000 residents are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 but this is the first time the city has had to grapple with the highly-transmissible Omicron variant.
READ MORE: Macao reports another virus case, launches 2nd mass testing
Authorities have set up a makeshift hospital in a sports dome near the city's Cotai strip and have around 600 medical workers from the mainland assisting them.