Macau confirmed four COVID-19 cases yesterday afternoon, a family of four comprising a couple and their two children, a schoolboy and a schoolgirl, raising the city’s total number of novel coronavirus cases to 63.
The Health Bureau (SSM) believes that the girl was infected with the novel coronavirus when she flew from Zhuhai to Xi’an, the capital of Shaanxi province, on July 19. The Zhuhai-Xi’an flight, CZ3761, was the same aeroplane used for a flight from Nanjing to Zhuhai, CZ5846, earlier that day. Two passengers on the July 19 Nanjing-Zhuhai flight were confirmed as COVID-19 patients later last month in Zhongshan and Zhuhai respectively.
The schoolgirl took part in a six-day exchange trip to Xi’an from July 19 to 24 organised by her school, Hou Kong Middle School. The Health Bureau believes that the schoolgirl infected her parents and brother after returning to Macau from the trip.
The Health Bureau has classified the schoolgirl’s case as an imported case, while her three family members’ cases have been classified as “connected to imported cases”. The COVID-19 family cluster has sparked fears among residents as the four had visited various places and venues in the city before being confirmed as COVID-19 patients yesterday.
Health Bureau officials underlined yesterday that the bureau has classified the four cases in line with the standards of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the National Health Commission (NHC).
The Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre announced last night that all four COVID-19 patients have been diagnosed with carrying the Delta variant – the mutant strain that was first detected in India.
The ongoing COVID-19 wave in the mainland, which started at Nanjing airport, has been caused by transmissions of the Delta variant, which has been spreading to a considerable number of provinces and cities in the mainland.
Mass NAT drive
The centre announced late last night that a mass nucleic acid testing (NAT) drive for everyone in Macau starts at 9 a.m. today. It will be carried out 24/7 at 41 stations – comprising 27 in the peninsula and 14 in Taipa, Coloane and Cotai. The government said late last night that it expects to complete the citywide NAT drive within three days. The tests are mandatory. Macau’s population stands at about 680,000.
The 41 stations announced late last night include the city’s existing five NAT stations, namely the Taipa Ferry Terminal, the Macau Forum complex, the station at the private Kiang Wu Hospital, the station at the University Hospital run by the private Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST), and the station at the Workers Stadium next to the Barrier Gate border checkpoint.
A follow-up statement by the centre released at around 2 a.m. today said that the mass NAT drive will cover everyone in Macau. According to the statement, all those who have been in Macau since yesterday but have not undergone a nucleic acid test yet must undergo the mandatory one-off COVID-19 test. They can choose to make an appointment on https://eservice.ssm.gov.mo/allpeoplernatestbook for the tests or opt for walk-in tests.
According to the statement, the Macau Health Code of everyone in Macau will now indicate blue, and their health code will return to green only after testing negative for COVID-19 in the mass NAT drive.
However, the statement said that the Macau Health Code colour of those who fail to undergo the mandatory tests within the three-day period from 9 a.m. today to 9 a.m. on Saturday will become yellow.
The statement said that if people in Macau have received a negative NAT result within the 24 hours prior to the launch of the mass NAT drive – i.e. 9 a.m. today, their Macau Health Code colour will remain green without the need to undergo the tests under the citywide NAT drive.
However, the statement noted that the negative COVID-19 results from the mass NAT drive cannot be used for crossing the Macau-mainland border – i.e. the results will not be displayed on their Macau Health Code. Those who need to travel between Macau and the mainland will have to book a nucleic acid test using the government’s appointment system for members of the general public – for which they have to pay a testing fee of 80 patacas each time.
Members of exchange group test negative for COVID-19
The centre also announced late last night that all 18 members of the dance exchange group that travelled to Xi’an who are currently in Macau have tested negative for COVID-19. They have meanwhile been transferred to the Health Bureau’s quarantine facilities for medical observation, said the centre, which also revealed that the schoolgirl infected with the novel coronavirus is aged 12.
Health Bureau officials told reporters last night that the other members of the 30-member dance exchange group are currently not in Macau.
The affected family lives in Mei Lin Building in Rua de Coelho do Amaral – a street running from Luís de Camões Garden to the private Kiang Wu Hospital. The father is a 51-year-old driver working for the Health Bureau (SSM). His 43-year-old wife works for a fruit shop in Weng Fat Building in Rua da Emenda – a street near the Red Market.
NAT cert for Macau-Guangdong travel valid for 12 hours only
From 3:30 p.m. yesterday, all those leaving Macau must present a negative COVID-19 test result valid for 24 hours.
From 8 p.m. yesterday, all those crossing the Macau-Zhuhai border (leaving or entering Macau) must present a NAT certificate confirming that they have tested negative for COVID-19 within the past 24 hours.
However, the centre announced late last night that from 6 a.m. today all those crossing the Guangdong-Macau border must present a negative COVID-19 test result issued within the past 12 hours.
Macau’s first lockdown
The government locked down Mei Lin Building – where the family of four lives – yesterday afternoon, before locking down two adjacent buildings – Fai Son Building and Kian On Building last night. The three buildings’ residents are forbidden to leave during the lockdown period, the length of which will be determined by the government after assessing the risk of COVID-19 transmissions in the three buildings. In addition, the government also locked down Weng Fat Building – where the fruit shop is located – and the shops nearby.
A statement by the centre last night noted that the lockdowns are carried out in line with the government’s community-based COVID-19 prevention and control measures. The government started to plan the community-based measures, officially known as accurate COVID-19 prevention and control measures divided by areas and levels, late last year. The government had said that it would activate the community-based COVID-19 measures if Macau confirms new local cases.
Last night’s statement by the centre noted that the Macau Health Code colour of residents living in the locked-down buildings and those working in the locked-down shops is now indicating red. As the length of the lockdown period is yet to be decided, the statement said that the government has provisionally decided to carry out nucleic acid tests on the locked-down residents on the first, third and fifth days. The residents are barred from leaving their buildings during the lockdown period, unless when collecting meal boxes, other food deliveries and other daily necessities from Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) counters set up in the locked-down areas.
In addition, last night’s statement said, five other buildings near Mei Lin Building are subject to a less strict version of the community-based COVID-19 measures, according to which the Macau Health Code colour of residents living there is now indicating yellow. They are required to undergo a nucleic acid test at the nearby Kiang Wu Hospital within 24 hours, the statement said, adding that they would possibly have to undergo follow-up tests “depending on the needs and situation”. They are barred from leaving Macau and must practise “self-health management” for at least 14 days.
The government has cancelled or suspended a number of events and activities and has closed certain public facilities.
State of immediate prevention
In addition, the Macau government yesterday declared a “state of immediate prevention” to avoid a local COVID-19 outbreak. According to a statement by the Unitary Police Service (SPU) yesterday afternoon, the state of immediate prevention was declared by Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng by an executive order, based on a risk assessment by the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre.
The SPU statement said that Macau is “facing the risk of being affected by a community outbreak of the novel coronavirus”. The statement stressed that the state of immediate prevention aims to “avoid the transmission of the novel coronavirus in Macau and to safeguard residents’ life and property”. Due to the declaration of the state of immediate prevention, which took effect at 3:30 p.m. yesterday, Macau’s civil protection mechanism was immediately activated.
The Macau government’s Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre first announced in a statement shortly before 2 p.m. yesterday that the local health authorities were notified by their counterparts in Zhuhai earlier yesterday that two Macau residents – the parents – who underwent a nucleic acid test at a testing centre in Zhuhai on Monday had tested positive for COVID-19.
During yesterday evening’s COVID-19 press conference, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Elsie Ao Ieong U said that after being notified by the Zhuhai health authorities about the two positive result cases, the Macau Health Bureau carried out a follow-up nucleic acid test on the parents and tests on their two children, which showed that all of them tested positive for COVID-19.
During the press conference, Health Bureau Director Alvis Lo Iek Long said that how long the lockdown of the affected buildings will last would depend on the results of the first round of nucleic acid tests for the affected residents. Lo said that if they all test negative for COVID-19, the lockdown period would last a relatively short time. If COVID-19 positive cases are detected among the affected residents, the lockdown period would “surely need to be extended”, Lo said.
During the press conference, Health Bureau (SSM) Control of Communicable Diseases and Surveillance of Diseases Department Coordinator Leong Iek Hou revealed information about the places and venues that the four members of the family had visited in Macau. According to Leong, the family had lunch at Federal Restaurant in Zape on July 25. The schoolboy told the Health Bureau that he had primarily stayed at home during the summer holiday, but he went to the public library in Luís de Camões Garden on July 26, Leong said.
According to Leong, the schoolboy, whose age has not been revealed by the authorities, and his sister had dinner with their parents at Nga Kai Restaurant in San Kio district on July 27. The schoolgirl told the Health Bureau that she had stayed at home after returning from her Xi’an trip, except for going out for lunch at Federal Restaurant and dinner at Nga Kai Restaurant with her family.
According to Leong, the father, a driver employed by the Health Bureau went to work by scooter. He drove staff members working at the health station at Coloane’s Seac Pai Van public housing estate and the health station at Coloane Village.
According to Leong, the mother told the Health Bureau that she walked to work.
The schoolgirl already developed COVID-19 symptoms during her trip to Xi’an. After she returned to Macau, her three family members started to come down with different COVID-19 symptoms at different times, according to Leong. However, none of them saw a doctor or went to have a nucleic acid test, before being confirmed as COVID-19 patients yesterday.
Scores of residents queue outside the Workers Stadium yesterday for their nucleic acid test (NAT). Photo: Prisca Tang
Travellers on their way to Zhuhai queue outside the Barrier Gate border checkpoint yesterday afternoon before the stricter validity of negative nucleic acid test (NAT) results for crossing the border took effect. Photo: Prisca Tang
