The Macau government's Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre announced in a statement this morning that mandatory citywide nucleic acid testing (NAT) will be conducted from 3 p.m. today to 3 p.m. next Tuesday.
All local residents and people staying in Macau are required to get the test, which is free of charge. If a nucleic acid test had been performed after 3 p.m. yesterday, the person concerned is exempted from the mass NAT programme, according tothe statement.
A total of 52 testing stations have been set up across the city. The stations comprise the following two categories: general stations and self-paid stations (prior booking is required), special care stations (for people with special needs who fail to make a prior booking).
There are 367 sampling booths, and special care channels are available at all testing stations operating around the clock. There are seven special care testing stations providing walk-in service for people in need of special care who fail to make a prior booking, and they can, if needed, be accompanied by one person. To shorten the queuing time, people in need of special care are urged to book the test at general testing stations with the assistance of families or friends, as they use the priority channel in the general testing stations.
Prior booking is required at general testing stations. Members of the public are urged to arrive at their respecitve station on time. Late arrivals will need to book again. The holder's original ID (which must be the same document used for the Macau Health Code), booking code and Health Code must be presented for the testing.
The measures were announced after the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases rose by three within two days to 66.
The website for booking citywide NAT sampling (https://eservice.ssm.gov.mo/allpeoplernatestbook) has started operating at 10 a.m. today. The test results will not be uploaded to the Macau Health Code, and they cannot be used for immigration purposes. Besides, 14 self-paid stations have been set up to provide paper NAT reports. Their testing results will be upload to the Macau Health Code for immigration purposes, and they will be included in the citywide NAT programme. Prior booking is also required for self-paid NAT testing, with the following booking link: https://eservice.ssm.gov.mo/rnatestbook/V21/.
According to the centre, to optimize crowd management, the booking system for citywide testing operates on the basis of sampling stations, aiming to ensure accurate control of users; real-time waiting information (No. of sampling booths at each testing station, No. of people waiting, expected waiting time, and No. of bookings) at different stations will be disseminated once every 4 hours through various means.
The expected waiting time will be shown in three colours: green indicates waiting time of less than 30 minutes, yellow indicates waiting time ranging between 31 to 59 minutes, and red indicates waiting time of 60 minutes or more. Members of the public are advised to check the latest waiting time before they go to get test.
The statement stressed that people in need of special care should not hurry to get tested on the first day. It urged the public to heed social distancing rules while lining up.
Yellow code holders may get tested at testing stations, where red code holders are required to take the test at the sampling station of the public Conde de Sao Januario Hospital Centre. If developing a fever or other symptoms, medical attention should be sought by using an ambulance. Bedridden or immobile persons are urged to request assistance from families and friends, those with difficulties may call the Social Welfare Bureau's (IAS) 24-hour hotline at 28261126 for assistance, the statement said.
The city's second mass testing drive was launched this morning after three new COVID-19 cases were confirmed yesterday and today (a local resident of Turkish nationality and two Nepali security guards working at a local quarantine hotel where the Turkish national stayed for medical observation after his arrival here from Turkey via Singapore) , bringing the total number to 66.
A street (Rua da Palmeira/Ma Chi Kai) in the Inner Harbour area's Patane (Sa Lei Tau) district, where one of the two Nepali patient lives, and a residential block in the Avenida de Horta e Costa neighbourhood, where the other lives, have been sealed off in order to stem the possible threat of the novel coronavirus.
The first citywide testing was conducted in early August after the confirmation of a four-member Delta Variant family cluster. There were no positive results among the 716,251 people tested.
Meanwhile, due to the latest developments on the COVID-19 front, all ferry services between Macau and Shenzhen and Zhuhai were suspended today.
The Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) announced this morning the immediate suspension of all in-class teaching at all school levels (higher, secondary, primary, pre-primary) through October 3. During the period Macau's universities and other higher education institutions will conduct online classes only.
Meanwhile, the Health Bureau (SSM) announced today that COVID-19 vaccinations will be suspended during the 72-hour testing campaign, i.e., until 3 p.m. on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong imposed from 10 p.m. yesterday mandatory quarantine on arrivals from Macau, while Zhuhai decided yesterday to impose 14-day mandatory quarantine on people arriving from Macau in the adjacent city from 6 a.m. today until next midnight Thursday as a precautionary measure as Zhuhai will host the international Airshow China 2021 between Tuesday and Sunday next week (Sept 28-Oct 3), Macau officials announced yesterday.
