The Macau Metro Monitor, April 9, 2013
AMBROSE SO FEARS H7N9 MAY AFFECT GAMING Macau Business
SJM CEO Ambrose So said the new H7N9 virus could impact the gaming business if by the holiday period its causes are still unknown, and no effective measures are put in place to control it. Nonetheless, he said he remained optimistic about business during Golden Week, but added that if the H7N9 situation worsens it would be quite worrying.
Business Daily reports that at least one casino operator in Macau is already checking the body temperature of employees arriving at work. So also said that SJM would consider “strengthening preventive measures” in its casinos against the H7N9 virus – possibly via body temperature checks on guests.
In a meeting yesterday, mainland, Hong Kong and Macau officials decided to step up surveillance of live poultry and poultry products, by increasing the sample size and frequency of farm inspections, official news agency Xinhua reported.
VISITOR ARRIVALS UP IN CHING MING Macau Business Daily
The number of visitors coming to Macau topped 457,000 during the four-day Ching Ming holidays, up by 4% from the same period of last year, the Public Security Police said. The first three days of the tomb-sweeping celebration (April 4 to 6) also marked the first trial of a temporary two-hour extension in the opening hours of the Gongbei border.
Asked yesterday if the opening hours of Gongbei border would be extended again during next month’s Labour Day Golden Week, Macau CEO Chui declined to reply. He hopes eventually the border will be open around the clock.
SJM CEO So said longer opening hours in the border was “good” for the gaming industry. He noticed an increase in the number of people visiting casinos and of chips purchased during the Ching Ming holidays. But he quickly added that figures for only a few days “cannot reflect a trend” on whether longer opening border hours would boost casino revenue.
