IN a setback to Genting Group’s recovery plan, Senior Minister (Security) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob ordered its casinos at the hills of Pahang to close immediately.
The Vibes reported the minister as saying,“I didn’t know the casinos were operating before this. I have ordered for their closure on Friday.”
Ismail Sabri, however, did not elaborate on how Genting casinos were allowed to operate before this and how long his decision will take effect.
On April 22, a group of tourists from Alor Star, Kedah, was reported to have travelled to Genting Highlands through the Government-authorised green travel bubble concept.
On their return, several members of the group started experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. Subsequently, 16 out the 28 individuals tested positive for the coronavirus.
However, it is unclear whether the tourists visited the casinos despite claims on social media.
Genting and the Government had received public backlash recently after it was reported that last month, over 500 of its staff from its hillside resorts received COVID-19 vaccination, despite Phase 1 of the National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) involving frontliners is yet to complete.
The report even surprised the Coordinating Minister for PICK, Khairy Jamaluddin, who claimed he was in the dark over the matter.
Last week, UOB Kay Hian Research retained its “buy” rating on Genting, with a higher sum-of-the-parts (SOTP)-based target price of RM6.73 (higher from the RM5.84 previously). – May 23, 2021.
