Goa Casinos Shuttered This Weekend, India Overwhelmed By COVID-19 Crisis

Posted on: May 1, 2021, 02:47h. 

Last updated on: May 1, 2021, 05:14h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More
Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

Casinos in India’s upscale resort district of Goa remain closed this weekend under a government-ordered lockdown to curb the deadly spread of coronavirus.

Goa’s bars, hotels, restaurants, and various entertainment sites also were shuttered
Goa residents are checked for COVID-19 symptoms. Casinos in Goa were shuttered this weekend because of the massive spike in cases. (Image: PTI)

The nation is shattering records, given the number of new cases of COVID-19. The illness nationally has led to widespread death, severe illness, and a massive oxygen shortage at health care settings.

Goa’s gaming properties were closed starting on Friday. The earliest they can reopen is on Monday.

Also, Goa’s bars, hotels, restaurants, and various entertainment sites also were shuttered temporarily by the region’s government in an announcement made on Wednesday, India.com, a national news site, reported.

Public transportation is not running this weekend, the report adds. Essential services and industry will remain open.

Goa saw 2,110 new cases of coronavirus on Tuesday. Some 31 died in Goa on Tuesday, the region’s health department said. Goa has seen 1,086 deaths since the CVOD outbreak began, as of earlier this week.

The nation reported over 400,000 new cases of the virus on Saturday. That is a global record.

Hospitals in India cannot treat the high number of seriously ill patients. The government plans to increase vaccines offered to the public. But there is a severe vaccine shortage in India.

Less than 10 percent of India’s population got a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as of Tuesday, according to the Jerusalem Post.

Many of those who die from COVID in India pass away because of delayed admission to hospitals, India.com said.

On April 21, Goa implemented a nighttime curfew. Casinos were allowed to open at 50 percent capacity during the daytime.

But the increased number of cases led to more severe restrictions. Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane Tuesday also changed treatments for likely COVID cases.

Hospitals were to give medicine to patients if they have symptoms of the virus. They will not wait for test results, India.com said.

Among the gaming sites closed in Goa are those operated by Delta Corp. It operates a land-based casino in Goa and a land-based casino in Sikkim. Delta also runs three water-based casinos in Goa.

Delta saw a net loss of US$3.2 million during the fiscal year ending in March.

The Goa and Sikkim regions in India allow limited gambling. It is illegal in much of the nation.

Lockdown Was Last Option

Earlier in April, Chief Minister of Goa Pramod Sawant said “[India] Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that imposition of a lockdown should be the last option. Lockdown will not control coronavirus.

“We have to impose some restrictions to control the situation,” Sawant said in April.

“As the second wave (of coronavirus) is affecting people below 50 years, everyone must take anti-COVID-19 vaccines after May 1 (when the drive opens for every adult),” Sawant said last month.

Starting next week, the US and Australia will restrict passengers on flights from India. There are some exceptions.

The US, Israel, United Kingdom and other nations are trying to send additional health assistance to India.

The number of cases could reach 500,000 a day within weeks in India, The Washington Post reported, citing health professionals.

Manila Casinos Shuttered, Too

In Manila, casinos are closed at least until May 14 because of the pandemic risk in the Philippines. Vehicles from neighboring states are prohibited.

Tourists must remain in their hotels, according to The India Wire, a news site.