Coronavirus case confirmed at Sydney’s Star Casino

Sydney’s Star Casino reopened on July 1 after months of being closed until further notice and the bad consequences of reopening came sooner than expected. The Star was able to host up to 5000 patrons at a time within the complex. But on July 4th a man who went in to play at the Pyrmont Casino around 7.30 pm to 10.30 pm has already testes positive for COVID-19 which left a lot of the employees and customers of the casino worried and uncertain about what is going to happen.

In a statement lodged to the Australian Stock Exchange, the group said it had been informed by New South Wales health authorities a man who visited the complex on the night had returned a positive reading for the infectious disease.

Another concern was that The Star, since the reopening, has been a COVID-safe space and was getting cleansed comprehensively on a daily basis. The management group of the casino has spoken about this subject and revealing in a statement that: “The plan incorporates spatial distancing measures, and hygiene and cleaning measures across the property including extensive intra-day cleaning and a daily comprehensive clean during a property shut down between 6 am and 10 am.”

“NSW Health is not requiring anyone to self-isolate but they are asking for people to monitor their health and be tested if they experience flu-like symptoms,” the Star Casino added in a later statement.

New South Wales Chief Health Officer Dr. Kerry Chant provided some further details into the case on Monday, July 13. According to her, the infected patient had no symptoms at that time. She also said that it might not have been infectious but so far, no one really knows that for sure. The important thing was that the person in question mainly stayed in his group. “We also advised that he was largely maintained within his group and really did not interact with anyone else,” said Kerry Chant. She later also said that “It is sometimes unclear, particularly when people have very mild disease at the exact time of onset or infectiousness.”

But people still continue to gamble at Sydney’s Star Casino despite the confirmed coronavirus case. The Pyrmont haunt remains open to the general public with gamblers seemingly unfazed by the fact that the venue could be the latest COVID-19 cluster hotspot. And as of 2 pm on Monday, the Star still remains open.

Star Entertainment shares listed on the ASX took a nosedive after the announcement, amid fears a lockdown of the surrounding suburb of Pyrmont could be on the horizon and as of 1.45 pm on Monday, Star Entertainment shares were flat at $2.70 per share, losing its 7.4 percent rally earlier in the day.

An NCA NewsWire employee observed there was no active cleaning occurring on the gaming floor, however, sections were closed off to the public. The news comes as NSW recorded 14 new cases of coronavirus on Monday.