The Macau government has imposed a blanket entry ban on all those who have been to any of eight named African countries within 21 days prior to their intended entry into Macau, with the aim of reducing the potential risk of the Omicron COVID-19 variant to the city’s public health.
The eight countries are Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.
The Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre announced the measure, which took effect at 00:00 yesterday, in a statement on Saturday.
The statement said that “all air passengers” who have been to any of the eight southern African countries within the past 21 days are barred from entering Macau.
Currently, only Macau residents, including foreign nationals holding a local ID card, are allowed to return to Macau from a foreign country, but they must undergo hotel quarantine for at least 21 days.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, foreign nationals without a Macau ID card have, in general, been barred from entering Macau since March last year, regardless of whether they are willing to undergo hotel quarantine in Macau. Only a few exceptions have been granted.
Mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan compatriots who have been to a foreign country within 21 days prior to their intended entry into Macau are also barred from entering the city.
Saturday’s statement means that the new entry ban on all those from any of the eight African countries is also appliable to Macau residents.
‘Variant of concern’
The Omicron variant, scientifically known as B.1.1.529, was first detected in Botswana earlier this month, before it was first discovered by virologists in South Africa, which reported the variant to the World Health Organisation (WHO) last week.
The WHO on Friday classified the B.1.1.529 variant as a “variant of concern” (VOC) and named it Omicron (the 15th letter of the Greek alphabet).
According to international newswire reports, the Omicron variant is raising concern worldwide given its large number of mutations, which, according to virologists, might cause it to be more contagious than the Delta variant, and help it evade antibodies from prior infection or vaccination.
In addition to southern Africa, according to the reports, the variant carrying worrisome mutations has now been also detected in various countries and regions across the world, such as Australia, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Hong Kong, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
A WHO statement on Friday said that the Omicron variant “has a large number of mutations, some of which are concerning. Preliminary evidence suggests an increased risk of reinfection with this variant, compared to other VOCs”.
