SkyCity Entertainment’s Auckland casino resort, which closed for three days due to an increase in Covid-19 infections in New Zealand’s largest city, will remain closed until midnight August 26 at the earliest.
SkyCity’s Hamilton and Queenstown properties remain open at Alert Level 2 with physical distancing and hygiene requirements in place, SkyCity said in the announcement. The Auckland casino had previously reopened in mid-May after a closure of about two months.
Prior to the latest shutdown, New Zealand had reached 100 days without any new locally transmitted cases of Covid-19. Within 48 hours, four infections were reported, a number that swiftly grew to 78. The crisis caused the local government to raise the Alert Level back to Level 3.
City residents are being asked to stay at home, large gatherings are prohibited, and non-essential businesses have been ordered to close.
The hotel at SkyCity Auckland remains open.
SkyCity CEO Graeme Stephens said: “SkyCity is fully complying with this latest update from the New Zealand Government. SkyCity is well prepared to respond quickly to these changes and is in a strong financial position to withstand the financial impacts of these temporary restrictions.”
