Aug 2022
A Galaxy Entertainment volunteer team helps ease the flow of people (Photo source: Galaxy Entertainment Group)
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Macao tourism industry supports the SAR government in its epidemic prevention efforts

In the face of the COVID-19 outbreak, the tourism industry has proactively mobilised resources to assist the SAR government in its prevention and control work by supplying more hotel rooms for medical observation, supporting the citywide testing programme, providing assistance to lodge non-resident workers stranded in the city, implementing different work strategies for its staff and launch initiatives such as takeaway offers where local people can order food from hotel restaurants. This has all been done in order to support and co-operate with the government’s epidemic prevention measures and to contribute to the strict control and maximum suppression strategy of “dynamic zero COVID-19” that’s intended to contain the outbreak. 

Quarantine rooms are added to the cause

The hotel industry in Macao offered more hotel rooms and facilities to the cause for medical observation purposes to meet the increased demand due to the outbreak. The Parisian Macao, Lisboeta Macau, Grand Lisboa Palace Resort Macau’s East Wing, Grand Hyatt Macau’s B1 Tower, Studio City’s Celebrity Tower and the Broadway Macau have been used as medical observation hotels. The England Marina Club Hotel and the Sheraton Grand Macao’s Earth Tower have been used to quarantine positive nucleic acid test cases. The Rocks Hotel has been offering rooms to people with a “yellow” health code since early last month.

These new added hotels provided by the industry since June to cope with the demand to curb the outbreak, were added to the establishments already in use as designated and optional hotels for general and special medical observation: Pousada Marina Infante Hotel, Grand Coloane Resort, Sheraton Grand Macao (Sky Tower), Treasure Hotel and Regency Art Hotel.           

Macao’s mass nucleic acid testing programme garners wide support

The tourism industry - including major tourism operators like Galaxy Entertainment Group, Melco Resorts & Entertainment Limited, Sands China Limited, SJM Resorts, S.A. and Wynn Macau Limited - has been actively providing its support to the government-launched citywide nucleic acid testing programme. The tourism businesses have organised volunteer teams to assist staff at several COVID-19 nucleic acid testing stations in terms of registrations, reservations and directing people who arrive to be tested. The volunteers have also helped individuals with mobility problems at the stations.

MGM China Holdings Limited has not only organised volunteers to support the testing programme, but have also set up a care hotline whereby volunteers stay at home and speak, via phone or video calls, with elderly, vulnerable or lonely people who are not able to get out due to the continuing epidemic prevention measures. Some of the city’s tourism resorts and businesses, as well as the Macau International Airport, have been providing venues for the stations, so as to avoid crowds gathering in one place.

Assistance to lodge non-resident workers stranded in the city

The sudden outbreak of COVID-19 in Macao has caused many non-resident workers to stay in the city over the past few weeks. The Macau Hoteliers & Innkeepers Association and the China Capital Employment Agencies Association (Macao) have worked with tourism businesses like hotels, restaurants and travel services to ensure the timely provision of accommodation, food and transport to those non-resident employees who are in need. Prices have been at concessionary rates and there have been assurances that these prices will not increase throughout the duration of the epidemic.

Macao tourism-related businesses use different staffing strategies during the outbreak

In response to the government’s suspension of all non-essential business activities between 11th and 23rd July, a number of enterprises have arranged for some employees stay at home, and have taken an array of other measures to ensure the safety of those employees who need to go to work. For example, employees are arranged to work from home or adopt staggered working hours. Special working individuals are required to conduct rapid antigen testing and hold valid negative results before going to work.

Hotel restaurants launch takeaway offers for Macao diners

Dining-in options at Macao’s restaurants have been suspended since the outbreak of COVID-19 in the city, so similar to other restaurants around town some hotel eateries have responded by offering takeaway deals. Under the scheme, restaurants are providing catering services to customers by offering free deliveries or discounts for takeaways.

* All information is correct at the time of release.
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