A COVID-19 outbreak is, unfortunately, growing in Singapore, causing a shutdown of certain services in the hopes of quelling the spread.  The Marina Bay Sands announced it has closed indefinitely while the virus is so rampant. The venue shut down quickly on Thursday morning. A deep cleaning will take place and reports suggest the casino will remain closed at least through August 5.

Some Services to Remain Open

While the casino at the Marina Bay Sands is closed, other services are still open. The notice by the operator says that the Shoppes are still open but on a limited basis. Only one person will be allowed per 16 square meters. Events at the Sands Expo can continue but will be capped at 100 people. Attractions will offer services at 25% capacity.

In the notice, the casino operator said that regulator testing of the staff members and facility contractors is a top priority. Polymerase chain reaction testing has been enhanced for team members who are working currently. Rostered Routine Testing will be held every 14 or 28 days based on the exposure risk of the employee as well as a job description.

Continued Spread of Coronavirus

The new measures by the Marina Bay Sands come as the Singapore government announced Phase 2 measures for the region. On Wednesday, 178 cases were reported. This was only slightly lower than the 182 from the previous day. Singapore has reached a new daily high and cases have been linked to the local fishing port.

The closure marks the second time that Marina Bay Sands has shut down for cleaning in just two months. Back in May, the casino saw two dealers test positive, which resulted in the need for cleaning. The full staff and contractors were tested, and thankfully, all the results were negative.

The casino has continually been affected by the virus. Back in December 2020, the casino was added to a list of places that may have been visited by people with the virus. Patrons had visited in late November and later tested positive. The casino was added to a watch list by the Ministry of Health and patrons were told if they had visited at the time, they should monitor their health status and seek assistance if signs of the virus showed up.

Unfortunately, it seems the virus is spreading once again across the world, with variants ramping up the number of infected. Even Las Vegas is starting to see an increase in cases and officials have changed up protocols to ensure that staff members of casinos remain healthy while serving the public.