Addressing yesterday’s 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 said that the government’s community-based COVID-19 prevention and control measures, which were activated early this month following the confirmation of a Delta variant four-member family cluster, have effectively helped its novel coronavirus prevention and control work, but the failure by some residents to update their home address on their Macau Health Code had adversely affected the government’s fight against COVID-19 earlier this month.
Consequently, Leong said that some of them who do not live in either of the city’s then two COVID-19 locked-down areas had their health code colour turn red so they were constantly asking the authorities to cancel their red health code during the city’s high-intensity fight against the novel coronavirus following the family cluster.
Leong urged residents to ensure that their home address on their Macau Health Code is always updated – i.e. really indicating where they live.
After the COVID-19 family cluster was confirmed on August 3 afternoon, the government locked down Mei Lin Building in Rua de Coelho do Amaral – where the four-member family usually lives – and two adjacent buildings in line with its 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 said at that time that it would activate the community-based COVID-19 measures if Macau confirms new local cases.
The Delta variant family cluster comprises a couple and their two children, a schoolboy and a schoolgirl. The family’s father is a driver employed by the Health Bureau (SSM), while his wife works for a fruit shop in Rua da Emenda. The government also locked down the building where the fruit shop is located and the shops nearby on August 3.
The Macau Health Code colour of residents living in the two COVID-19 locked-down areas had become red.
During the 14-day lockdown period – which was lifted on Wednesday, those living in the two red code zones were forbidden from leaving their homes. Since the buildings were locked down following the confirmation of the COVID-19 family cluster, 286 residents underwent home quarantine in the two red code zones.
In addition, five other buildings near Mei Lin Building were subject to a less strict version of the community-based COVID-19 measures – i.e. the Macau Health Code colour of residents living there had become yellow – which barred them from leaving Macau, entering various premises in the city, and taking public transport – despite the fact that they could leave their homes.
Restrictions imposed on the yellow code zone – which covered the five buildings – were also lifted on Wednesday.
Consequently, the Macau Health Code colour of those living in the three zones returned to green on Wednesday.
Macau Health Code users must add their home address to the system, which will enable the system to identify whether they live in a COVID-19 affected area when the Health Bureau activates its community-based COVID-19 prevention and control measures.
When adding their home address, Macau Health Code users can choose to fill in the address themselves on the system, or alternatively select an option on the system agreeing to authorise the Health Bureau to obtain their address information from the Identification Services Bureau (DSI).
A reporter asked during yesterday’s press conference what achievements the government’s community-based COVID-19 measures, which were activated early this month, have brought to Macau’s COVID-19 prevention and control work. Leong said that after the COVID-19 family cluster was confirmed early this month, the Health Bureau locked down the two areas (red code zones) and set up the yellow code zone in line with its plan on the implementation of the accurate COVID-19 prevention and control measures divided by areas and levels, which she pointed out were activated for the first time in Macau.
Leong said that the implementation of the community-based COVID-19 measures in the 14-day period “delivered the results and effects that had been expected by the Health Bureau”.
However, Leong admitted that the implementation of the community-based COVID-19 measures could be further improved, adding that a working group coordinating the implementation of the community-based measures – consisting of Health Bureau officials and those from other related public entities – will have meetings in due course to discuss possible improvements to the matter.
Failing to update address on health code
Leong said that an adverse situation occurred during the government’s implementation of the community-based COVID-19 measures earlier this month, which was that some residents had failed to update their home address on their Macau Health Code, because of which some of them who do not live in either of the two red code zones had their health code colour turn red – i.e. their previous home address was in the then two red code zones, she said.
Leong noted that the failing to update one’s home address on the Macau Health Code system resulted in two scenarios. Firstly, some Macau Health Code users had filled in their previous home address on the system, while, secondly, some Macau Health Code users had not updated their home address registered with the Identification Services Bureau (DSI). “Some of them had actually registered wrong addresses with the Identification Services Bureau,” Leong said.
Consequently, Leong said, the residents who do not live in either of the two red code zones but had their health code colour turn red due to the wrong address issue “had repeatedly asked us to cancel their red code when we were intensively fighting COVID-19, which increased the burden on our overall fight against COVID-19”.
Macau has not recorded a new local COVID-19 case for 16 consecutive days after the Delta variant family cluster was confirmed on August 3.
Possible outreach COVID-19 jabs for seniors
Meanwhile, Tai Wa Hou, a clinical director of the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre, said during yesterday’s press conference that if the government launches outreach COVID-19 vaccination services for senior citizens in the future, inoculations for those in retirement homes would be carried out first, before the government would consider giving on-site jabs to those with reduced mobility in their homes in the next step, considering the Health Bureau’s limited human resources.
Meanwhile, the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre announced during yesterday’s press conference that from next week it will only be held every Monday and Thursday, no longer every weekday.
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 situation. Photo: GCS
