Since March 15, casinos located in Metro Manila have been closed due to quarantine directives regarding the COVID-19 outbreak. Casinos affected by the closure include Okada Manila, Resorts World Manila, City of Dreams Manila and Solaire Resort & Casino. Since July, these venues have been running trials for invited guests. Now, Okada Manila has confirmed that it can start offering partial operations of its casino as well as other resort facilities based on a new director from PAGCOR.

Resuming Operations

PAGCOR recently gave permission for the venues to reopen at 30% capacity. For Okada Manila, the parent company, Universal Entertainment Corp, recently posted a notice regarding operations on the corporate website.

The casino will reopen a portion of the gaming area, with 30% of its table games in operation as well as slot machines. Hotels and restaurants will also reopen. For Okada Manila, they have plans to implement hygiene management protocols on-site. This will include cleaning and disinfecting the operational areas of the facility.

PAGCOR announced in late August that some of the integrated resorts in the region could soon be allowed to offer services, even if just partially. The regulator was willing to allow the partial reopening if operators would agree to institute strict social distancing guidelines as well as public health measures.

An earlier partial reopening was allowed but it was shut down due to fear of contagion. The regulator is expected to take a strict approach this time around to ensure venues stay in compliance and the risk of COVID-19 infection is minimal, if not non-existent.