A Chinese national flag flies at half-mast to mourn for martyrs who died in the fight against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak and compatriots who died of the disease in Macao, south China, April 4, 2020. Photo: Xinhua

I detest clichés, but nothing expresses my thoughts about how to compare Las Vegas and Macao's handling of the COVID-19 crisis than to quote Charles Dickens: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness….

I could continue with that opening from a Tale of Two Cities by Dickens, but I'll leave that to the literature, because my words are blunt, not poetic.

In Macao, we have the best of times amidst these "worse" of times, and we have wisdom too - while Las Vegas' mayor looks downright foolish. 

When I saw Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman citing false science that states "desert heat" can kill COVID-19 on Anderson Cooper's CNN program, my jaw dropped. 

After all, the casinos and resorts in Las Vegas are among the safest in the world in many respects - security cameras are everywhere so anyone suffering from a heart attack is instantly attended to. I can imagine that many of those same casino and resort managers grabbed their hearts as if they were having a heart attack when they heard their mayor make Vegas seem like a dangerous destination - who would want to visit a city where the leaders make horrendous statements on public health? Talk about virus roulette! 

Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised - two years ago when my father took my Chinese wife and I to Vegas, a crazy man ran into the middle of the street and kicked our car as we drove down Las Vegas Boulevard. At the northern end of the Vegas Strip, we witnessed hordes of poor, mentally ill people and drug addicts living in tents and wandering the streets that seemed like in a scene straight out of the TV series The Walking Dead.

When I took my parents to Macao, the Cotai Area was pristine and clean, without an ounce of danger insight. 

The city of Macao today, which I have reported on for the past 15 years, was buttoned down immediately when the threat of COVID-19 arose in January. Macao has shown impeccable leadership and is a beacon of hope for how mass tourism resort cities can manage this crisis. It used widespread messaging to inform people on social distancing, the universal wearing of masks, selective entry with proper quarantining, and vigilant tracing and monitoring. 

Today in Macao, residents are slowly returning to their daily routines still wearing masks, carrying sanitizers, and practicing social distancing. The local mega-resorts still have fewer visitors, but their lights are on. They're complying with public health measures and, as best as possible, maintaining employment. In Vegas, the homeless sleep in parking lots and the city appears like a lost, empty destitute civilization that is as barren as the desert that mafia boss Bugsy Siegel carved the city out of. 

The virus crisis is not fully out of sight, but Macao's local actions are worth noting and acting on - especially for the beggar Las Vegas.

Indeed, three of the major players in Macao are American with deep roots in Las Vegas. Hopefully they will share the lessons of Macao's successful COVID-19 campaign with their counterparts in Vegas. 

Because the stakes are too high to bet on jokers like Mayor Goodman.

The author is editor of Peace Post (www.peacepost.asia) and South China Sea Magazine online (www.southchinasea.com.cn). opinion@globaltimes.com.cn