Melco Ceases Cyprus Activity Due To Coronavirus

Melco Resorts and Entertainment has made the decision to halt all activities of its Cyprus Casino C2 operation in order to help keep the coronavirus at bay, ceasing operations from March 16, for a period of four weeks.

The county has already reported 84 infected patients due to Covid-19.

More About Closure

Despite ongoing efforts on completing the long-anticipated City of Dreams (COD) Mediterranean integrated resort, four satellite casinos and one temporary venue have stopped its activity for now. The decision is made by the company which stands behind previous providers - ICR Cyprus Holdings.

The enterprise explained its shut down resolution following the intention to be “in full compliance with the decision of the Council of Ministers, announced on 15 March 2020, to suspend operations of certain private businesses including casinos, which tend to attract larger groups of individuals.”

Suppression of Virus

Before the official closure of gambling venues, Cyprus Casino C2 have undertaken precautionary measure to help prevent the spread of the virus. It decreased the number of allowed visitors and staff inside the venues, bringing the total number of 75 across five gambling venues - C2 Paphos, C2 Ayia Napa, C2 Nicosia, C2 Larnaca, and C2 Limassol.

On this occasion, Melco Chief Operating Officer, Andy Choy mentioned:

“In these challenging times that call for extreme measures, we rally behind the government of Cyprus and the actions implemented to curb the spread of Covid-19… We fully support the decision to temporarily suspend the operation of entertainment facilities across the country in the best interest of all. We are also standing alongside our local partners and the entire tourism industry who have prioritized the safety of their personnel and guests with the utmost responsibility to safeguard their health.”

Background

The shutdown of the casino venues is more than a logical step after the local government ordered the closure of commercial venues, including restaurants, sports facilities, theaters, museums, malls, and all densely visited areas. All these facilities will be closed in the next four weeks while the hotels will have to suspend the activity until the end of April.

At the same time, people can only use services of local bakeries, pharmacies, grocery stores which will remain open with a limited number of visitors.

People are not recommended to travel to Cyprus in these problematic conditions. However, those who choose the option will have to provide a health certificate confirming that they tested negative for the Covid-19, and even after, they must stay in quarantine for the next 14 days…

Source:

“Melco to halt Cyprus operations over coronavirus concerns”, calvinayre.com, March 18, 2020.