The Macau Economic and Commercial Office (DECM) in Lisbon announced in a statement yesterday there are still more than 10 Macau residents stuck in Portugal and unable to return to Macau, adding that the office has been contacting the respective entities of the Macau government with the aim of assisting the residents to return to Macau safely.
According to the statement, since the first novel coronavirus case was discovered in Portugal in March last year, the country has seen over 720,000 cases and over 12,000 deaths. The statement noted that after Christmas, the number of cases continued to increase and the country has extended a nationwide emergency for the tenth time. The statement pointed out that besides curfews, Portugal also set up a new system to limit travel between cities and regions.
The statement said that a lot of Macau residents in Portugal were anxious about the situation, especially retired residents unable to get their proof of living in Lisbon because of the COVID-19 prevention measures. Therefore, the office has been trying to contact Macau residents in Portugal and instruct them how to use Macau's newly launched “single account portal”.
The statement said that to ease Macau students' worries living in Portugal, the head of Macau Economic and Commercial Office (DECM) in Lisbon, Alexis Tam Chon Weng, held a meeting with their representatives to show care and comfort. According to the statement, Tam said that as there are not enough vaccines for students in Portugal at the moment, they should have less gatherings and use facemasks and alcohol hand sanitizers. The statement also said that Tam urged the students to ask for help when needed, encouraging them to work hard and contribute to civil society in the future.
The statement said that the Chinese embassy in Portugal has provided the students with a “health bag”, which includes facemasks and flu medicine, through the Macau Economic and Commercial Office three times since the novel coronavirus outbreak. The statement said that the students expressed gratitude for the embassy's assistance.
Tam was Macau's policy secretary for social affairs and culture between 2014 and 2019.
This undated handout photo provided by the Macau Economic and Trade Office (DECM) in Lisbon shows the head of the office, Alexis Tam Chon Weng, having a meeting with Macau student representatives in Lisbon.
