Casino Reopenings Look Hopeful in Uruguay
The mayor of Uruguay’s capital, Montevideo, has announced parameters for reopening casinos in the city. As of July 5, 2021, Uruguay reopened much of its entertainment sector to the public after a strict lockdown, but casinos had remained closed, which caused consternation among players and those working in the industry.
Casino reopenings in Uruguay look hopeful as vaccinations continue, public spaces reopen and tourism is encouraged. ©Pedro Slinger/Pexels
At the start of July, it was announced that the country would reopen certain businesses like restaurants, shops, events, cinemas, concerts and parties. Unfortunately for the casino industry, private and public gambling venues were to remain closed until at least July 11.
The lack of clarity about opening plans for casinos created some controversy for gaming fans, which Montevideo’s mayor Carolina Cosse has now tried to address.
Plans for reopening will follow guidelines outlined by the Harvard Global Health Institute, which has been offering the public research about Covid-19’s spread since the pandemic’s early stages. Based on these criteria, casinos in Montevideo will open if the incidence of Covid-19 per 100,000 inhabitants is under 20, based on the average of the last seven days, for three consecutive days.
Cosse, who has served as the Intendant of Montevideo since November, 2020, explained this week that the index was at 36, which means “in the red.” If the index goes below 20 for three days, gamblings halls will open, but if they go above 25, they will immediately close.
Speaking to a press conference of local and national news agencies last week, Cosse highlighted the risk of fluctuating Covid-19 rates as summer holidays progress, as well as concerns about new, more dangerous variants:
“We are doing this because we understand that the decrease in the number of cases is auspicious, we believe that it is very good, we are very happy with that. But we understand that there are risk factors, such as the issue of not knowing what happens after we return from the July holidays, and also the presence of new variants of the virus in neighboring countries.”
The measures were approved at a meeting of the Montevideo Departmental Emergency Committee on July 2, 2021. Cosse announced that the Ministry of Public Health also agreed to open certain cultural spaces, but that every activity must comply with necessary hygiene measures for that sector. For example, certain spaces will be allowed to operate at 30% capacity. All private events, whether indoor or outdoor, will also be strictly regulated.
The cities of Montevideo, Canelones and Maldonado also have their own stricter regulations at this time. Rather than reopening cinemas on July 5 along with the rest of the country, they will be allowed to open on July 15. Therefore it is understandable that these higher risk municipalities are also cautious about reopening gambling halls.
Despite these restrictions, it seems the virus situation in Uruguay is hopeful, with 53.1% of the population fully vaccinated as of July 6, 2021. Tourists are also allowed into the country now; with the presence of a negative PCR test, no quarantine is required.
Compared to neighboring countries, Uruguay has done quite well to contain the virus and to avoid variants. For this reason, it was also recently selected to host this year’s Copa Libertadores above neighbors Brazil and Argentina.
In 2020, Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou made progress in the country’s casino sector by accepting developer proposals for a five-star casino-resort in the country.
Casino operators and fans will keep their fingers crossed for more good news as the month progresses and, hopefully, cases continue to diminish.
