It’s been a difficult couple of months for casinos around the world. Virtually all of them were forced by their respective regulators or governments to kick out patrons and lock their doors as part of a wider effort to contain the coronavirus, but the light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter. While much of the US gaming action remains on lockdown for anywhere from one week to another month, New Zealand casinos are getting a little help. The country is relieving some of the pressure on commercial entities and has reduced its COVID-19 threat level, which means that SkyCity Entertainment Group can start preparing for a relaunch of its gambling houses. The company hasn’t wasted any time getting ready, either.

Almost as soon as New Zealand lowered its official Threat Level from “Four” to “Three,” SkyCity pounced. A level three threat indicates that public venues must be remained closed and travel has to be limited as there is still a “heightened risk that the disease is not contained.” During the Level Four threat, everything in the country was shut down except for supermarkets, medical clinics and pharmacies. However, the casino operator announced (in pdf) that it is busy working behind the seasons, restarting a number of projects at its in-country properties this week.

While casinos still can’t begin to welcome gamblers, SkyCity will take advantage of this time to continue working on renovations of its premium gaming rooms, as well as the development of a new “Entertainment Zone” it had planed for SkyCity Auckland’s main gaming floor. SkyCity Hamilton will also show off some changes when it reopens, as the company is updating the main gaming floor and adding a new baccarat area.

The company adds in its announcement, “The New Zealand Government has indicated that New Zealand will remain at Alert Level 3 for at least two weeks and that an initial decision on whether to move to Alert Level 2 will be made on 11 May 2020. At Alert Level 2, SkyCity expects to re-open its New Zealand properties in a staged manner with reduced operating hours initially based on expected customer demand.”