Addressing yesterday’s weekly press conference about Macau’s novel coronavirus situation, the Health Bureau’s (SSM) Control of Communicable Diseases and Surveillance of Diseases Department Coordinator Leong Iek Hou announced that from today two groups of people who have been fully (twice) vaccinated against COVID-19 at least 14 days prior are now exempted from the government’s requirement to undergo a nucleic acid test (NAT).
According to Leong, the two groups comprise 1) those participating in sports competitions and performers at festive or recreational events, and 2) those attending a banquet with over 400 guests.
Leong gave several examples for the festive events or recreational events, such as carnivals, events featuring game booths, fairs, cultural and arts performances, concerts, parades, festivities, and events featuring food stalls.
According to the Health Bureau’s current guidelines on the management of collective festive events and recreational and sports activities, participants in sports competitions and performers participating in festive or recreational events are required to undergo a nucleic acid test before taking part in the respective events, if they cannot wear a facemask and keep a distance of at least two metres from each other during the particular event.
According to the bureau’s current guidelines on the management of group catering events (i.e. the guidelines for the city’s community associations organising banquets), those attending a banquet (i.e. luncheons or dinners) with over 400 guests – i.e. during which they cannot wear a facemask for over one hour as they are having a meal – are required to present a NAT certificate confirming that they have tested negative for COVID-19 within the past seven days.
The new measure announced yesterday, which takes effect today, means that the two groups of people now no longer need to be tested for COVID-19 before attending their respective events if they have been fully inoculated against COVID-19 at least 14 days before the particular event.
Leong said yesterday that the new NAT requirement exemption measure aims to encourage more residents to get their COVID-19 jabs.
Leong said that considering Macau’s currently low COVID-19 risk, the government has concluded that the two groups of people can be exempted from its NAT requirement if they can present their COVID-19 vaccination record indicating that they have had the two COVID-19 jabs at least 14 days prior.
However, Leong underlined that for the time being the government will not exempt those working in the frozen food sector, those working in the government-booked “quarantine hotels”, and those working at the city’s border checkpoints from its requirement to undergo a nucleic acid test regularly.
Leong also announced that with the implementation of the new NAT requirement exemption measure, in two months time (i.e. starting from July 18) the government will no longer carry out nucleic acid tests for those taking part in sports or various other events organised by public entities.
Leong pointed out that the government has arranged for those taking part in sports or other various events organised by public entities, such as the city’s annual marathon, to make an appointment for a nucleic acid test on a specific booking system, for which they do not need to pay, before the events. Leong said that with the implementation of the new exemption measure, the government now has a two-month transition period during which such an arrangement will continue to be in force, after which the participants will have to book a nucleic acid test themselves – i.e. on the government’s appointment system for members of the general public, for which they will have to pay a testing fee of 90 patacas each time.
Govt to open inoculation facility at Macau Forum
Meanwhile, Leong also announced that the government’s new COVID-19 inoculation facility at the Macau Forum complex in Zape will start operating on Thursday, with 2,000 places available per day.
According to Leong, only Sinopharm inoculations will be available initially after the new vaccination facility at Macau Forum comes into service.
Potential vaccinees can make an appointment through the government’s COVID-19 vaccination booking system from today to get their jabs at the Macau Forum inoculation facility, Leong said.
The new Macau Forum inoculation facility will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
Leong said that the government will change the opening hours of the Macau Forum inoculation facility and the number of places available there per day after constantly assessing residents’ demand for COVID-19 vaccinations. The government will possibly add the BioNTech vaccine to the Macau Forum vaccination facility later on, according to Leong.
Macau’s COVID-19 vaccinations are currently carried out at 14 facilities, comprising two inoculation facilities at the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre, eight public health centres, two public health stations, as well as the private Kiang Wu Hospital and the University Hospital run by the private Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) in Taipa.
The government’s free COVID-19 vaccination drive covers local residents, non-resident workers and non-local students enrolled in Macau. However, all other non-locals who hold a permit to stay in Macau, such as the family members of non-resident workers employed in Macau, have to pay 250 patacas per jab – which means that they have to pay 500 patacas to be inoculated against COVID-19 considering that each person requires two jabs.
According to Leong, COVID-19 inoculations at Macau Forum will be provided for local residents, non-resident workers and non-local students enrolled in Macau.
All other non-locals can only choose to get their COVID-19 jabs at the two facilities at the public hospital, the eight public health centres and the two public health stations.
Seniors now can get jabs at any facility
Meanwhile, Leong also announced that from today those aged 60 or over can get their COVID-19 jabs at all inoculation facilities, including the new Macau Forum facility, a change from the now-defunct arrangement in which those aged 60 or over could only get vaccinated against COVID-19 at one of the two inoculation facilities at the public hospital, which had been in force until yesterday.
Leong said that the government has listened to the opinions from “many” residents calling for the government to make it more convenient for senior citizens to be inoculated against COVID-19 by allowing them to get their jabs at more inoculation facilities.
Leong said that since the government’s COVID-19 vaccination programme was launched about three months ago, in its three-month observation the government has concluded that those aged 60 or over have not incurred a higher risk of suffering a post-vaccination adverse event than those in other age groups, because of which, she said, the government has decided to roll out the new vaccination measure for those aged 60 or over.
Macau has not recorded a new local COVID-19 case for 414 days. The city confirmed its 50th COVID-19 case on Sunday, a 31-year-old man who was among the 10 passengers who flew in on a chartered flight from Nepal’s capital of Kathmandu last month.
Macau has recorded 50 COVID-19 cases since January 22 last year, 48 of which have been classified as imported, while two cases have been classified as “connected to imported cases”. The first 49 patients have been cured and discharged from hospital, and no fatalities have been reported in Macau, which has been spared a community transmission of the novel coronavirus disease.
Macau’s 50th COVID-19 patient a prison guard
According to a Health Bureau’s announcement last month, the 10 passengers on the Kathmandu-Macau chartered flight comprised seven Macau residents and three non-resident workers hired by Macau’s Correctional Services Bureau (DSC) to work in Macau’s prison in Coloane. According to last month’s announcement, the Macau government exempted the three from its entry ban on foreign nationals without a Macau ID card “in the public interest”.
Leong said during yesterday’s press conference that Macau’s 50th COVID-19 patient is a 31-year-old Nepali who works as a prison guard in Macau’s prison.
Leong also said that the Nepali has not been infected with any of the mutant strains of the novel coronavirus in Brazil, India, South Africa or the United Kingdom that are more contagious. Leong said that the man has been infected with the D614G strain, the now most common one spreading in the world.
Quarantine period extended for 7 more days if antibody test is positive
Meanwhile, Leong also announced that from today those undergoing their 21-day hotel quarantine in Macau after arriving from a foreign country are required to spend seven more days in quarantine if they test positive for the novel coronavirus in an antibody test, also known as a serology test, which is carried out by the Health Bureau during their hotel quarantine period. In which case, Leong said, they are required to undergo 28 days of hotel quarantine.
Those arriving from Brazil, India, Nepal, Pakistan or the Philippines will have their hotel quarantine period increased from 28 days to 35 days if they test positive for the novel coronavirus in an antibody test, Leong said.
Health Bureau (SSM) Control of Communicable Diseases and Surveillance of Diseases Department Coordinator Leong Iek Hou addresses yesterday’s press conference about the city’s novel coronavirus (COVID-19) situation. Photo: Tony Wong
