In South Korea and the operator behind the Kangwon Land Casino has reportedly extended its temporary closure of the venue until Sunday as it looks to help stop the spread of the highly-contagious coronavirus strain that has so far killed 26 locals.

According to a Sunday report from Inside Asian Gaming, Kangwon Land Incorporated initially shuttered the nation’s only casino that is accessible to locals on February 23 after the government of South Korea raised its alert level regarding the outbreak to its highest ‘red’ degree. The operator purportedly later extended this week-long closure by another three days to Wednesday as the number of locals infected with the potentially life-threatening ailment rose to over 4,200.

Dispersed disorder:

Officially known as 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), the coronavirus strain was first reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan in early-December but has since spread to countries as distant and the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States. The illness causes pneumonia-like symptoms such as high fevers and coughs and was purportedly inadvertently introduced into South Korea by members of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus.

Fortnight finding:

The source reported that Kangwon Land Casino along with its adjacent condominiums, ski resort and hotel are now due remain closed until March 8 while the development’s family-focused Water World theme park is to remain shut for an additional twelve days to March 20.

Care concerns:

Kangwon is located in rural Gangwon Province approximately 93 miles from Seoul and offers patrons a selection of about 960 slots as well as some 100 gaming tables. The operator reportedly used an official filing to declare that the closures were designed to ‘put customer safety first’ although it subsequently explained that none of its staff or guests had yet tested positive for the coronavirus strain.

Income impact:

Kangwon Land Inc reportedly earlier detailed that the now-shuttered property had seen its annual net profit for 2019 rise by 12.7% year-on-year to just over $274.8 million before subsequently predicting that the initial week-long closure would likely eat into any later yield to the tune of approximately $18.1 million.