SkyCity casinos cheer as New Zealand lifts all COVID-19 restrictions

New Zealand casino operator SkyCity Entertainment Group is celebrating the country’s lifting of all COVID-19 restrictions on public gatherings, while the nation’s racetracks are still wondering if they’ll have warm bodies in their betting booths this week. 

On Monday, the New Zealand government announced that the country was officially moving to COVID-19 Alert Level 1 effective at midnight after health officials reported the last known individual infected with COVID-19 had recovered. It’s been 17 days since the country reported a new infection.

The shift to Level 1 means the elimination of nearly all pandemic-related restrictions, paving the way for what Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called “public events without limitations,” including thousands of fans packed into sports stadiums.

Ardern also declared that both retail and hospitality operations are “back without limitations.” SkyCity, which has been operating under pandemic restrictions since its May 14 reopening, announced Monday that “over the next few days,” all its New Zealand casinos (with the exception of the Wharf in Queenstown) “will return to normal hours as will the majority of SkyCity’s restaurants and the Sky Tower.”