Coronavirus shuts down casinos РCasinos and gaming venue locations in Quebec are joining the list of closed down businesses due to recent development regarding the fight against COVID-19 virus. Loto-Quebec, crown corporation behind state casinos in the province of Quebec, has announced that Casino Charlevoix, Casino Lac-Leamy, Casino Montreal and Casino Mont-Tremblant would close down for business together with its gaming venues in Trois-Rivi̬res and Quebec.
Closing of the gambling venues for a while, until the situation regarding Coronavirus are mitigated was expected. Montreal has already closed good number of businesses due to concerns about the public safety. Public locations are to be avoided as well as large gatherings, and crown corporations are joining the effort to slow down Coronavirus outbreak.
Officials closed all four casinos on midnight, last Friday. Coincidentaly, it was Friday the 13th, unlucky date for gambling Crown corporation indeed. These information were confirmed on Twitter by Patrice Lavoie, Crown corporation’s spokeperson. His tweet indicated that the shutdown was triggered by preventive measures, as advised by the Institut National de Sante Publique du Quebec. Certainly a smart move, considering enclosed and crowded environments like casinos are a perfect breeding ground for viruses like COVID-19. It’s not worth catching it even if you would win a mega fortune.
Implemented measures are expected to help with slowing down Coronavirus
Newely implemented measures are expected to slow down, if not reduce the number of infected individuals, alleviating the situation. Considering the dynamic nature of new measures that are being implemented daily, Institut National de Sante Publique du Quebec advised the casino venues to be closed for an indefinite period. Keeping the Coronavirus under control on a provincial level is a good strategy to ensure national levels of safety. With that in mind, all shows and live performances were canceled in aforementioned casinos.
Some time ago it was rumored that Chances Squamish, a popular bingo facility in British Columbia, was epicenter of Coronavirus spreading, despite door handles and slot machines being regularly disinfected. These information were denied by representatives of establishment, namely Tany Gabar, a PR official of Chances Squamish.
Labor unions are concerned – Coronavirus shuts down casinos
Many people are sent home, including casino workers. Unions are concerned about the health of these individuals, but also about their work being interrupted. Although personal safety is number one priority, people fear their salaries will be endangered once they heard venues will be closed indefinitely, adding to uncertainty about their positions and future employment. Frequently visited public places with high potential to infect large number of people, like swimming pools and arenas, are closed as well. Combining all the closed businesses we come to thousands of people being sent home. It will certainly help with the slowing down of Coronavirus, but what is it going to do to already shaken global economy is yet to be seen.
Situation in Canada is not as alarming as it is in other countries, but with at least 324 confirmed cases by Monday, and additional 17 presumptive cases, situation is to be taken seriously. Amid national efforts to stop the virus, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that Canada will close its borders for everyone except citizens or permanent residents.
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