Paradise Casino Walkerhill reopens, virus test again needed

Jan 06, 2021 Newsdesk Latest News, Rest of Asia, Top of the deck  

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Paradise Co Ltd, an operator in South Korea of foreigner-only casinos, reopened its Paradise Casino Walkerhill venue in the country’s capital Seoul, at 7am on Monday (January 4).

Paradise Co’s Walkerhill site had closed on December 15 as a Covid-19 countermeasure. On December 28, the closure had been extended until this Monday.

The venue will still require all customers to show evidence of a negative test for Covid-19 infection in order to enter the casino. The certificate must come from either a recognised health agency or a hospital, according to the venue’s website.

A Paradise Casino Walkerhill representative clarified – in response to GGRAsia’s telephone enquiry – that such a certificate must have been issued within one week of the customer’s intended visit. Previously, the venue had accepted all-clear test certificates issued within two weeks of a visit.

The property had started asking for a test certificate from November 30.

The representative also confirmed that the venue would offer a KRW100,000 (US$92) “lucky coupon” exchangeable for casino chips in that amount, to all customers with necessary test certification.

On Wednesday, Paradise Co told GGRAsia via email – in response to our enquiry – that it would not comment on how many customers had up to that time visited the reopened casino.

As of 12am on Wednesday, South Korea reported 839 new Covid-19 cases in the previous 24 hours, taking the country’s confirmed tally to 65,818, including 1,027 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

Currently, all South Koreans as well as foreigners travelling inbound to the nation via either the United Kingdom or South Africa – two countries known to have cases of new-variant Covid-19 – are required to present a certificate showing freedom from Covid-19 infection, issued within 72 hours of their departure, according to a recent briefing from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

The rule is be extended to all foreigners entering the nation by air from Friday (January 8). It will apply also, from January 15, to anyone arriving by sea, according to commentary attributed to the same body by local media.

(Updated Jan 6, 4.47pm)

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