Macao seals off Grand Lisboa hotel as COVID cases surge

The file photo taken on March 5, 2019 shows visitors taking photos outside Wynn casino resort with a view of the Grand Lisboa, the top center, casino resort building in Macao. After more than a dozen COVID 19 cases were found on Tuesday, ANTHONY WALLACE AFP HONG KONG Macao sealed off one of the city's most famous hotels, the Grand Lisboa.

At least 16 other buildings are cordoned off with no one allowed to enter or exit the special administrative region.

More than 13,000 people are currently under quarantine orders as the city struggles to contain its biggest outbreak since the outbreak began. Since its outbreak in October 2021, Macao has had more than 900 coronaviruses, and it's been largely COVID-free.

The Grand Lisboa is the second casino hotel to have been sealed off in recent weeks. The Lisboa is one of the city's most well known landmarks, owned by SJM Holdings, which was started by former Macao kingpin Stanley Ho.

Local media showed photos of the hotel cordoned off with people in protection gear and hazmat suits standing outside. The Grand Lisboa was not immediately available for comment.

Most of the restaurants can only provide takeaway, and the government has stopped short of imposing a full scale lockdown of the city.

Residents are asked to stay at home as much as possible and be required to take part in three citywide COVID- 19 tests this week. People are required to take rapid antigen tests in between.

Macao's casinos are allowed to stay open.

The city adheres to the zero-COVID policy which aims to eradicate all outbreaks to ensure the safety of its residents.

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It still has an open border with the Chinese mainland, with its economy firmly tied to the inflow of mainland visitors.

The National Health Commission said on Tuesday that 112 locally-transmitted COVID 19 cases were reported in the Chinese mainland, 81 of which were in Anhui province.

Shanghai reported nine confirmed locally transmitted COVID 19 cases and 15 local asymptomatic carriers. The commission said all of the new infections were found from people under quarantine.