The Star Sydney has suspended almost all operations for at least the next two weeks after the New South Wales government introduced new restrictions on Friday to curb a growing outbreak of COVID-19.
The latest cluster, which originated from a limousine driver transporting an international flight crew to their hotel, had climbed to 65 by Friday morning including 22 new cases reported within the previous 24 hours.
As a result, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced Friday that four local government areas, including the City of Sydney, would be placed into an effective lockdown for seven days as of 11.59pm Friday night. The lockdown was later extended to all of Greater Sydney and for an additional week.
Star Entertainment Group issued an announcement on Friday afternoon in which it confirmed The Star Sydney would “cease operations, apart from limited hotel facilities, from this time as a result of the orders.”
The company had said at the time that it would continue to pay staff for the next seven days.
It’s the fourth time The Star Sydney has been forced to either suspend operations or introduce capacity restrictions since the start of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the most recent coming at Christmas due to an outbreak on Sydney’s northern beaches.