Ho Iat Seng, Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR)'s Chief Executive, delivered his 2020 policy address at the Legislative Assembly on Monday, which was his first policy address to the plenary session as the chief executive.

Ho said that the COVID-19 outbreak has been a major challenge for Macao since its return to China and the SAR government has already taken various prevention and control methods against the pandemic.

He has also vowed to continue pushing the city's casino operators to focus on mass market development and improve their non-gaming facilities, while tightening the regulation of junkets.

The government would continue "pushing gaming operators to develop the mass market and to find more competitive non-gaming elements," he said, "facilitating the correlation of gaming and non-gaming correlation in order to build Macao into the World Center of Tourism and Leisure by extending non-gaming elements."

Ho was sworn in on December 20 last year as the fifth-term chief executive of the Macao SAR.

He said in his inaugural address that adopting the policy of concerted efforts, reform and innovation, the new SAR government will continue to fully and accurately implement "one country, two systems," strictly follow the Constitution and the Basic Law, conscientiously safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, and undertake greater courage and innovative ability to advance economic and social development of Macao.

As of April 17, a total of 45 cases were confirmed in the Macao SAR and 17 patients in Macao had been discharged from hospitals after recovery. 

The SAR government has launched a series of measures involving aggregate financial support of up to 50 billion patacas (about 6.25 billion U.S. dollars) to help Macao residents and small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) cope with the difficulties brought by the COVID-19 outbreak, including waivers or reductions of some taxes, supportive loans for SMEs, and incentives for consumption.  

Macao's gaming industry revenue plunged by 79.7 percent year-on-year in March 2020, the special administrative region (SAR)'s gaming industry watchdog reported. 

Macao's Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau said in its latest report that the gaming revenue was 5.26 billion patacas (about 659.10 million U.S. dollars) in March this year, a drastic decline of 79.7 percent from March 2019. 

(With input from Xinhua)