Representatives of employees working Macau’s casino floors are calling for an end to social distancing regulations imposed last year in response to the Covid crisis, claiming the one-meter requirement has been rendered moot by the return of the popular practice of back-betting at table games.
Crowds of standing bettors sharing in the action at baccarat tables were a common sight in Macau’s casinos before the pandemic hit last winter, when the practice was banned in accordance with safety measures that included a 50 percent reduction in tables per casino, a reduction in seating per table and the one-meter (3.3 foot) social distancing rule.
Local news reports, however, now say the practice was restored around Chinese New Year in February, citing information from the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau, the government’s casino regulator.
The relaxation comes at a time when the casinos are becoming crowded again as a result of China’s restoration of tourist visas and Macau’s cancellation of virus test requirements for visitors from the mainland. Only the problem is, last year’s social distancing requirements are still in effect on gaming floors, at least technically, but with no enforcement mechanisms other than croupiers and staff.
Cloe Chao, president of a labor group known as New Macau Gaming Staff Rights Association, said the requirements are confusing and counter-productive and have on some occasions caused quarrels between staff and players.
“The restriction is considered too stringent at the moment. It has intimidated and turned some mainland bettors off,” she told the English-language Macau Daily Times.
Jeremy Lei, vice director of the association, said, “It is unrealistic to ask the standing patrons to keep a one-meter distance apart from each other and have them stick to it. It is really not as easy to do it as it is in the case of seated patrons.”
The association has petitioned the bureau to scrap social distancing altogether, saying mandatory face coverings and other measures are adequate for safety.
