Arrivals from Macau must be vaccinated against COVID-19 and must have tested negative for the disease within the previous 48 hours but will be exempted from 14-day quarantine, the Zhuhai People's Municipal Government said this afternoon.
According to a statement by the adjacent city's government quoted by Macau's Chinese-language media, the measure will take effect at noon tomorrow.
A press conference by Macau's Novel Coronavirus Prevention and Coordination Centre confirmed the news reports later in the afternoon. The centre said that one jab was sufficient to be allowed to enter Zhuhai from Macau and that the two vaccines provided in Macau, China's Sinopharma and Germany's BioNTech, were recognised for crossing the border.
Arrivals under the age of 12 and those with proof that they cannot be vaccinated against COVID-19 are exempted from the rule, the reports said.
However, people from Macau who live in red or yellow code lockdown neighbourhoods, work in high-risk positions in quarantine hotels or treat COVID-19 patients are barred from entering Macau, according to the reports.
The 14-day quarantine rule for Zhuhai was imposed by the Guangdong provincial authorities a week ago, shortly after the confirmation of a COVID-19 Delta variant cluster involving two medical observation quarantine hotels in front of the local airport.
Many in Macau had expected the lifting of the 14-day quarantine requirement for arrivals from Macau on the eve of Friday's National Day. However, this did not happen.
Zhuhai's international Airshow China 2021 ended tonight
Thousands of Zhuhai residents work and study in Macau.
In the wake of Zhuhai's vaccination and testing requirements taking effect at noon tomorrow, hundreds of people started lining up outside vaccination and nucleic acid testing (NAT) stations in the afternoon. Queueing of up to three hours was reported in some cases.
