Addressing yesterday’s press conference about Macau’s novel coronavirus situation, Tai Wa Hou, a clinical director of the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre, said that quarantine-free travel arrangements for those arriving in Macau from Hong Kong could get off the ground if Hong Kong has zero new local COVID-19 cases for at least 14 consecutive days, as long as these local cases are “connected to imported cases” or those whose sources of infections have been clearly identified, and the cases do not cause COVID-19 community transmissions.
Tai also said that according to the latest “preliminary” consensus that has been reached by the Macau and Hong Kong governments, only those who have been fully (twice) inoculated against COVID-19 at least 14 days prior will be covered by the Macau government’s quarantine exemption. In addition, the travellers must present a nucleic acid test (NAT) certificate valid for 48 hours when entering Macau.
According to Tai, the Macau Health Code – which currently has the three colours – green, yellow and red – those arriving in Macau from Hong Kong under the quarantine-free travel arrangements will indicate blue, which will require them to check into guestrooms on specified floors of specified hotels, barring them from engaging in any activities where they cannot wear a facemask, such as swimming, and barring them from entering certain premises such as pubs and karaoke bars.
The Macau government first announced on Monday last week – when Hong Kong had not recorded a new local COVID-19 for 14 consecutive days – that “conditional” exemptions from the Macau government’s quarantine requirement for arrivals from Hong Kong were to be implemented in phases if the neighbouring city had zero new local COVID-19 cases for at least 28 consecutive days.
The Macau government reaffirmed on Thursday last week that only if Hong Kong had zero new local COVID-19 cases for at least 28 consecutive days could the phased implementation of the quarantine-free travel arrangements for arrivals from Hong Kong be implemented – i.e. the 28-day requirement would need to be “recalculated”. The reaffirmation came after Hong Kong confirmed a new local COVID-19 case on Thursday last week, a 27-year-old male airport ground-crew member, causing its record of zero local infections for 16 consecutive days to be broken.
Hong Kong reported one more local COVID-19 case on Sunday, a 24-year-old woman who had been in close contact with the 27-year-old man.
However, the Macau government said on Monday that if the latest two local COVID-19 cases in Hong Kong are finally classified as “connected to imported cases” and the two cases do not cause community transmissions there, the 28-day requirement would possibly not need to be “recalculated” – i.e. Hong Kong would only need to have zero new local COVID-19 cases for at least 28 consecutive days counting from the last local case in Hong Kong which was reported before the 27-year-old case was confirmed on Thursday last week.
Hong Kong’s health authorities initially classified the 27-year-old case as an untraceable local case and the 24-year-old case as a local case “connected to another local case”, before on Tuesday finally classifying both cases as “connected to imported cases.
During yesterday’s press conference, reporters repeatedly asked more details about the quarantine-free travel arrangements for arrivals from Hong Kong, including as to when the scheme would finally get off the ground.
Tai repeatedly underlined that for the time being the Macau and Hong Kong governments still do not have a schedule as to when the quarantine-free travel arrangements for arrivals from Hong Kong would be implemented.
Nevertheless, Tai said that the two governments have reached a “preliminary” consensus on more details about how to implement the quarantine exemption for arrivals from Hong Kong. According to Tai, the quarantine-free travel arrangements will only be applicable to those who have been fully (twice) inoculated against COVID-19 at least 14 days prior.
In addition to the requirement for the travellers to present a NAT certificate confirming that they have tested negative for COVID-19 within the past 48 hours, they will be required to undergo several nucleic acid tests during their stay in Macau, Tai said.
According to Tai, the Macau Health Code colour of those arriving in Macau from Hong Kong under the scheme will indicate blue – i.e. a new health code colour specifically designated for them. When checking into a certain hotel for their stay in Macau, the hotel will arrange for them to stay on designated floors, Tai said, adding that during their stay in Macau they will be barred from engaging in any activities where they cannot wear a facemask and from entering certain premises such as pubs and karaoke bars. Replying to media questions, Tai said that those arriving in Macau from Hong Kong under the scheme will be barred from entering swimming pools as people “surely” can’t wear a facemask when swimming.
The government has yet to announce which hotels will have designated floors for arrivals from Hong Kong.
Not barred from entering restaurants
Despite the fact that people cannot wear a facemask when eating, Tai said that the travellers under the quarantine-free travel arrangements will be allowed to enter restaurants. “People must eat,” he said.
Tai also said that the travellers will be allowed to enter casinos, but the Macau and Hong Kong governments are still discussing details on special COVID-19 measures to be carried out for those entering casinos after arriving in Macau from Hong Kong under the quarantine-free travel arrangements. “If they are not even allowed to enter casinos, it would be too much,” he said.
Tai also explained why the Macau government has now decided not to strictly adhere to the initially-announced 28-day requirement. Tai said that as Hong Kong had previously reported new local COVID-19 cases that were untraceable, the Macau government initially required Hong Kong to have zero new local COVID-19 cases for at least 28 consecutive days before the quarantine-free travel arrangements for arrivals from Hong Kong could get off the ground.
Tai said that after assessing Hong Kong’s latest COVID-19 developments, the Macau government has now determined that the quarantine-free travel arrangements could start if Hong Kong has zero new local COVID-19 cases for at least 14 consecutive days, as long as the cases are “connected to imported cases” or those whose sources of infections have been clearly identified, and the cases do not cause COVID-19 community transmissions there.
