Sands China (1928) has become the first gaming concessionaire in Macau to implement a new government directive that obliges people working in enclosed spaces to do weekly Covid-19 nucleic acid tests if they have yet to receive the vaccine jabs, according to informed sources.
All unvaccinated employees at Sands will need to submit proof of Covid-19 tests on a weekly basis starting from mid-October; anyone who fails to do so will not be allowed to enter company premises.
The aim of the new move, which is in line with a government directive announced in mid-September, is to encourage more workers to take the jabs.
Currently Macau’s vaccination rate is less than 60%, far below the Government target.
The other five gaming operators have yet to introduce plans to enforce the new government directive and it is expected that they will soon follow in the footsteps of Sands.
Vaccination outreach services were provided earlier at all major casinos in Macau and all gaming firms have tried different incentives to push their vaccine take-up rates. As a result, the vaccination rates among employees at all six casino operators now exceed 70%.
