If you enjoy voluntarily parting with your money, you might have been to the casino at Marina Bay Sands a few times.
The casino recently hit the headlines after two of its employees tested positive for COVID-19.
As a result, the casino was forced to close so the premises could undergo deep cleaning.
And just two days later, it reopened for business.
MBS Casino Reopens After Deep Cleaning Due to COVID-19 Cases
At 4pm yesterday (19 May), MBS’ casino resumed operations with enhanced COVID-19 measures in place.
For one, rostered routine testing for its front-line staff will be carried out every two weeks instead of monthly – around 5,600 employees, including casino staff, will be covered under this scheme.
Another 3,000 employees will undergo a mandatory test every month as they are considered lower risk category due to their job scopes.
Other safe management measures will also be implemented in accordance with Phase 2 (Heightened Alert), including:
- reducing operating capacity
- placing electronic gaming machines and slot machines 1m apart
- permitting only up to two patrons at each gaming table
- allowing only one patron at each slot or electronic table gaming machine
In addition, all close contacts of the infected employees have been placed on quarantine or told to stay at home and monitor their health.
Cluster Linked to 35YO Dealer
It all started when a 35-year-old male Singaporean who works as a dealer at the casino was confirmed to be COVID-19 positive.
He developed a cough, runny nose, sore throat, and body aches on 14 May, and fever the next day.
He sought medical treatment at a GP clinic where he underwent an Antigen Rapid Test ART and tested positive for COVID-19.
A PCR test taken on the same day also returned a positive result.
His earlier tests from Rostered Routine Testing – the last being on 21 April – were all negative for COVID-19 infection. His serology result is pending.
Since then, two more infections have been linked to the dealer. They are:
- a 34-year-old male Malaysia national who is currently unemployed
- a 32-year-old female Malaysian national who also works as a dealer at the casino
The 32-year-old is a close contact of the 36-year-old dealer. She was placed on quarantine on 16 May and was tested for COVID-19 the next day.
Her result came back positive on 18 May, and she developed a fever that day.
Her serology test result is pending.
As for the 34-year-old, he’s a household contact of the dealer.
He developed a fever and cough on 12 May, and sought medical treatment at a GP clinic on 15 May, where he tested positive in an antigen rapid test (ART).
He was immediately isolated and underwent a PCR test, which came back positive the next day.
He has tested preliminarily positive for the B1617 variant, and is pending further confirmatory tests.
His serology test result is also pending.
Featured Image: Facebook (CNA)
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