The number of hotels temporarily already closed, or to be closed tomorrow, over the novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP) threat has risen to seven, the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) announced at the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre's daily press conference about the virus threat today.
According to MGTO official Ines Chan Lou, the Legend Palace and Rocks hotels at the Fisherman's Wharf will be closed from noon tomorrow.
Since the middle of the week a total of seven hotels have taken the initiative of closing their doors in the wake of the epidemic, citing a lack of guests and personnel issues. Most hotel workers in Macau are non-resident workers, many of them from mainland China.
The Four Seasons, Conrad and Sofitel Ponte 16 are among the hotels that are already closed over the virus menace.
According to officials statistics, Macau had 123 hotels and guesthouses with a total of 38,000 guestrooms at the end of last year, when the number of guests rose 1.1 percent year-on-year to 14.1 million.
Macau's 41 casinos and all other entertainment venues such as bars, snooker halls, massage parlours and cybercafes have been closed by government order for two weeks since Wednesday. The aim of the order is, according to Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng, to reduce the risk of infection with the novel coronavirus.
Today's press conference confirmed that Macau has not confirmed a new case of novel coronavirus pneumonia since Tuesday. Macau's Health Bureau (SSM) has so far confirmed 10 cases, comprising seven tourists from Wuhan and three local residents. One of the patients from Wuhan was discharged from the public Conde de S. Januario Hospital Centre earlier this week. SSM doctors said that the female patient had made a full recovery. She has meanwhile returned to the Chinese mainland. Nine of the patients are still in isolation.
Observers have noted that close to 100 percent of pedestrians in Macau are wearing facemasks. The government has required all public transport passengers to wear facemasks. Panic buying which erupted early this week appears to have subsided.
