Macau could close all casinos over outbreak

Ho Iat-seng appeals to Macau residents to stay home as much as possible. Photo: RTHK

Macau's Chief executive, Ho Iat-seng, said on Thursday that he could not rule out closing all of the gambling hub's casinos, as he announced a second case of the Wuhan virus in the SAR.



The latest patient is a 66-year-old man from Wuhan, who was found to have a fever while crossing the border from Zhuhai on Wednesday morning.



Four relatives who were with him have been placed under observation.



Ho appealed to Macau residents to stay home as much as possible.



He warned that the situation could be worse after the Chinese New Year holiday.



The first case reported in Macau involved a woman who arrived from Wuhan on Sunday and spent most of her time in a casino before falling ill on Tuesday.



Macau has cancelled its Lunar New Year parade and has set up a surgical mask quota system so residents are able to buy them at a reasonable price.