After being closed for more than five months due to the coronavirus epidemic, Cyprus-based casino operator Melco Resorts and Entertainment Limited has announced the partial reopening of its chain of Cyprus Casinos (C2) locations.
With effect from today, the properties in Nicosia, Paphos, Limassol, and Ayia Napa will be able to "continue providing guests with an unparalleled entertainment experience" while also "closely adhering to all relevant guidelines issued by the Minister of Health," according to the operator with headquarters in Hong Kong.
Hard times:
The four gambling-friendly establishments are managed by the ICR Cyprus Holdings Limited joint venture Melco Resorts and Entertainment Limited, which was founded with the regional conglomerate Cyprus Phassouri (Zakaki) Limited in 2017. They operate under an exclusive 30-year licence and provide a combined choice of about 200 slot machines and 30 gaming tables. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, these businesses were shut down for 13 weeks in the spring of last year. The C2 Limassol and C2 Paphos facilities also had a corresponding 19-day lockdown in November.
Effective scene
More recently, the island nation of about 1.2 million people experienced a dramatic rise in infections that brought the associated death toll to up to 85, forcing Melco Resorts and Entertainment Limited to close its entire C2 estate, which also includes an outlet in the tourist hotspot of Larnaca, effective December 17. Due to increased vaccination rates and a previous programme that temporarily shuttered most unnecessary businesses and prohibited all public gatherings, such as weddings, baptisms, funerals, and conferences, this threat has now significantly diminished.
Reasonable precautions:
Despite the fact that there are still 31,657 coronavirus infections that are active in Cyprus, Melco Resort and Entertainment Limited said that it "has put in place a rigorous health and hygiene plan" that would allow consumers to visit four of its C2-branded facilities once more. According to the operator, this plan includes requiring all customers and staff to wear protective face masks, submit to temperature checks, and follow "social distancing measures for all premises and queuing areas" in order to "safeguard the wellbeing of all guests and colleagues."
dedicated statement:
ICR Cyprus Holdings Limited's Grant Johnson is the C2 Property General Manager. In a press release, he expressed his "delight" at being able to reopen the four venues and stated that his company would "carry out regular and stringent disinfection and sanitization procedures on a daily and weekly basis."
Read Johnson's statement here.
"We are prepared and dedicated to offering visitors the finest calibre of entertainment in a friendly and secure setting. Our top focus is the health and safety of our visitors and employees, thus we have put in place a broad array of rigorous sanitary procedures. We firmly think that the reopening of C2 will accelerate Cyprus' recovery process and make a substantial contribution to improving both the tourism sector and the local economy as a whole.
