Strict COVID-19 control measures for all the passengers
Addressing yesterday’s weekly press conference about Macau’s novel coronavirus situation, Alvis Lo Iek Long, a clinical director of the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre, announced that 115 Macau residents departing from 13 countries such as the United Kingdom and Portugal will take a flight from Tokyo to Macau on Thursday, because of which the Macau government will implement a raft of strict COVID-19 measures for the passengers.
According to Lo, the measures will include the passengers immediately undergoing a rapid COVID-19 test, the result of which will be available within two hours, upon their arrival at the local airport, undergo 21-days quarantine at the same “quarantine hotel” and undergo four COVID-19 tests during the quarantine period.
According to Lo, the Macau government has contacted most of the 115 passengers and told them to wear self-protection items throughout the whole journey starting from their original country of departure.
On the Tokyo-Macau flight, the passengers will be provided with self-protection items, while they will have to prepare the item themselves for the flights before arriving in Tokyo, according to Lo.
Lo said that the Macau government has decided to implement the special measure for the 115 passengers after considering that they could impose a high risk to Macau possibly resulting in newly imported COVID-19 cases.
Lo reassured residents that under the Macau government’s “closed-loop management” for the passengers, they will not result in a COVID-19 risk to the community.
The Tokyo-Macau flight will be operated by Air Macau.
During the press conference, Lau Fong Chi, who heads the Public Relations Division of the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO), said that in addition to the UK and Portugal, the 13 countries from which the passengers taking the Tokyo-Macau flight will depart include Australia, Ireland, Japan, Switzerland, and the United States.
Lau also said that all the passengers will undergo their 21-day quarantine at the same hotel, Grand Coloane Resort.
During yesterday’s press conference, Lo said that the Macau government has been notified by an airline that a flight will transport 115 Macau residents departing from 13 countries from Tokyo to Macau on Thursday, including those from COVID-19 high-risk areas such as the UK and Portugal, pointing out that the passengers will go through several airports for transit flights before arriving in Tokyo.
Risk is ‘not low’
Lo said that after assessing the situation “comprehensively”, the Macau government has concluded that the risk of the Tokyo-Macau flight resulting in Macau having to cope with newly imported COVID-19 cases “will not be low”, with the possibility of Macau even confirming new COVID-19 patients who have been infected with the new strain of the novel coronavirus that is more contagious than the previous one.
Lo said that therefore the Macau government has held many cross-departmental meetings over the past week where officials discussed the matter, after which it has decided to implement strict COVID-19 measures for the passengers – from when they start their journey from the original country of departure.
Lo said that the Macau government has carried out a full set of preparatory tasks and come up with various contingency plans in response to the Tokyo-Macau flight, with the aim of ensuring that any possible COVID-19 cases will be detected during the passengers’ quarantine period – in case some of them have been infected with the novel coronavirus disease, because of which a COVID-19 community transmission is unlikely to occur in Macau and local residents’ safety will not be affected, he underlined.
Four parts
Lo said that the Macau government’s strict COVID-19 measures for the passengers will comprise four parts. In the first part which comes before they start their journey to Macau, Lo said that the Macau Government Tourism Office has so far contacted most of the 115 passengers and provided them with COVID-19 prevention guidelines for air passengers, which include information such as the documents and self-protection items they need to prepare for the journey, and “points to note” for different steps during their whole journey such as when they transit at the stopover airports.
Lo said that MGTO officials have told the passengers to prepare self-protection items themselves before the start of their journey. According to Lo, the passengers will have to wear an N95 mask when they are at any of the airports before arriving in Macau. While they are on the planes, they will have to wear a surgical facemask, full-body protective clothing, a face shield (or goggles), and disposable gloves. “They will have to use all the self-protection items during the entire journey from when they start their trip,” Lo said.
Lo also said that the government has sent the passengers video clips teaching them how to properly use the self-protection items.
Lo pointed out that the passengers must present a nucleic acid test (NAT) certificate confirming that they have tested negative for COVID-19 within the past 72 hours before boarding the plane at the country of departure. They will also have to undergo a temperature check and health assessment before boarding the plane, Lo said.
Lo said that after considering that the 115 passengers will depart from different countries and take different flights before arriving in Tokyo, the Macau government has told the airline (Air Macau) to arrange designated seats for the passengers on the Tokyo-Macau flight, with the aim of ensuring that the passengers departing from different countries will not infect each other (in case some of them have been infected with COVID-19) during the flight.
Second part
In the second part which concerns the Tokyo-Macau flight, Lo said that the passengers will be required to wear self-protection items on the plane, adding that they will have to refrain from eating and using the toilet during the flight. “They will be required to eat and use the toilet as little as they can,” Lo said.
Lo said that the airline (Air Macau) will prepare dry food for passengers who need to eat something – meaning that no full meals will be provided during the flight, so as to minimise contact between the passengers and crew members. “This can ensure the safety of other passengers and the crew members during the flight,” Lo said.
Third part
In the third part which will take place upon the passengers’ arrival at the local airport, Lo said that they will get off the place in batches so as to reduce the gathering of crowds.
Lo said that each of the passengers will immediately have two samples collected for COVID-19 tests. One sample will be used for a rapid COVID-19 test, the result of which will be available within two hours, while the other sample will be used for a normal nucleic acid test, Lo said.
According to scientists, a rapid COVID-19 test generates a less accurate result than a normal nucleic acid test – i.e. a PCR test.
Last part
In the last part, Lo said that passengers who test negative for COVID-19 in the rapid test will be taken to a designated floor at the designated “quarantine hotel” for their 21-day quarantine and medical observation. The number of nucleic acid tests (NATs) for the passengers will be increased from three to four during the 21-day quarantine period, according to Lo, who said that they will have a test on the first day, fifth day, 12th day and 20th day of the quarantine period.
Lo also said that after getting off the plane at the local airport, the passengers will have to walk about 30 metres to a designated area at the airport where medical workers will immediately collect samples from them for COVID-19 tests.
During the press conference, Lau said that according to the airline’s information, half of the 115 passengers, who also include seniors and children, are aged 25 or below, most of them students.
Lau also said that the passengers also include children aged under the age of two.
Nappies provided
Lau also said that as the passengers are advised to use the toilet as little as they can, nappies will be provided by the respective airline for the Tokyo-Macau flight for those in need. Lau underlined that the passengers will not be forced to use a nappy, and they can still go to the toilet during the flight if they really need to.
According to previous media reports, the flight from Amsterdam to Tokyo will be provided by KLM. However, yesterday’s press conference did not mention the airline.
Macau has not recorded a new COVID-19 case for 206 days, while no local case has been confirmed in 295 days.
Macau’s COVID-19 tally stands at 46 with zero fatalities.
Alvis Lo Iek Long, one of the three clinical directors of the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre, addresses yesterday’s press conference about the city’s novel coronavirus (COVID-19) situation.
Photo: GCS
