On July 22, just two weeks after casinos reopened in the Indian state of Sikkim, they were compelled to shut down again due to an increase in new Covid-19 infections.
According to Inside Asian Gaming, when Covid cases rose from 100 to almost 300 per day, the government restored a ban on all social, religious and entertainment gatherings. The shutdown will be in force for the next month at least.
In a filing, India’s largest gaming company Delta Corp. confirmed the closure of its Sikkim casino, Casino Deltin Denzong at the Denzong Regency hotel in Gangtok and the suspension of operations in Goa, where it operates three offshore casinos and the Deltin Suites hotel. Goan casinos have been closed for four months due to rising Covid numbers in the country.
In good news for Goa, daily cases there have fallen from more than 4,000 in early May to 99 as of July 19.
Last week, Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang blamed the new infections on gross violations of lockdown guidelines, according to the Indian Financial Express. “The lockdown guidelines must be enforced and implemented in letter and spirit,” the chief minister told officials.
