UPDATE 1-Macau casinos to resume operations from Feb 20 after suspension over virus fear

Macau, the world's biggest gambling hub, will allow casinos to resume operations from Feb. 20, after authorities imposed a two-week suspension to curb the spreading of the coronavirus, public broadcaster TDM reported on Monday, citing authorities.

The unprecedented halt of gaming operations started on Feb 5 and was due to end on Feb 19. Macau has not reported any new cases of the virus since Feb 4, authorities said. There have been 10 confirmed cases of the virus in total. Government services, which had mostly been suspended since the start of February, gradually resumed operations this week but authorities cautioned that residents needed to remain vigilant.

Macau's government has told casino operators, which include Sands China, Wynn Macau, SJM Holdings, MGM China, Galaxy Entertainment and Melco Resorts, they have 30 days to go back to full business, health officials said on Monday. While casinos have been given permission to operate, business is likely to be limited, say, executives, due to Macau's strict controls on visitor entry and curtailed transport links, including the suspension of ferry services from neighboring special administrative region Hong Kong.

Nearly 30 hotels, mostly joined to casinos, have been shuttered in the past two weeks due to the suspension. It was not immediately clear how quickly those operations, as well as other non-gaming amenities, would resume.