The government announced yesterday that all restaurants, hotels and various entertainment venues in the city are required to have their contact-tracing-function QR codes available by Saturday for patrons to scan in order to record that they have visited there.
The measure was announced by both the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) and the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO).
According to statements by the two public entities yesterday, the Health Bureau (SSM) has “required” all venues and facilities licensed by the two entities to have the QR codes in place by January 15.
The city’s eateries and restaurants are licensed by the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) or the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO). Certain kinds of entertainment venues are licensed by IAM, while others and the hotel sector are licensed by MGTO.
Yesterday’s IAM statement said that as required by the Health Bureau in response to the latest COVID-19 development, the Municipal Affairs Bureau has sent an SMS to all of Macau’s about 3,100 restaurants, eateries and other entertainment venues licensed by IAM, reminding them to place their contact-tracing-function QR codes of the Macau Health Code mobile app in a clearly visible location by Saturday.
The statement said that IAM officials have printed the QR codes and have now been distributing them to the venues and facilities “one at a time”. The statement was quick to add that the venues or facilities can choose to download and print their own QR codes.
The statement urged all the venues and facilities to remind their patrons to scan the contact-tracing-function QR codes. In addition, the statement said, the Municipal Affairs Bureau has been dispatching more inspectors to check if the venues and facilities are complying with the government’s COVID-19 measures, with the aim of reducing the potential risk of COVID-19 spread in the community.
In addition to restaurants and eateries, according to yesterday’s IAM statement, venues and facilities licensed by the Municipal Affairs Bureau include cinemas, theatres, indoor playgrounds, amusement arcades, Internet cafes, snooker parlours, bowling alleys, and beauty salons. There are about 3,100 such venues and facilities licensed by IAM, according to the statement.
Meanwhile, yesterday’s MGTO statement also said that as required by the Health Bureau, the Macau Government Tourism Office has sent a letter to all of the venues and facilities licensed by MGTO, urging them to put up their contact-tracing-function QR codes of the Macau Health Code mobile app by Saturday.
The statement said that MGTO officials will provide “assistance” for owners or managers of venues and facilities who find it difficult to download and print their own QR codes.
According to yesterday’s MGTO statement, venues and facilities licensed by the Macau Government Tourism Office include hotels, restaurants, bars, ballrooms and cabarets, public saunas, massage parlours, health clubs, and karaoke bars.
The statement said that MGTO officials have now been inspecting the various venues and facilities to tell them to put up their QR codes.
The Macau Health Code mobile app’s contact tracing function, which was rolled out in November, enables residents to record their whereabouts accurately, which will help health officials in their epidemiological investigations in case the city is hit by new local COVID-19 cases. Contact-tracing-function QR codes are currently available at all government premises and facilities – including public medical institutions and facilities, all social service facilities, and public buses.
Meanwhile, in a statement last night the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre urged residents to download and use the Macau Health Code mobile app, saying that using the app version is more convenient for users to generate their health code compared to the website version. In addition, the operation of the app version is more stable than the website version, the statement said.
The website version of the Macau Health Code remains operational, which means that currently smartphone users can choose to continue using the website version or switch to the mobile app version, when generating their health code. However, the new contact tracing function is only available on the mobile app version, as mobile web browsers are unable to scan a QR code.
This undated handout photo provided by the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) yesterday shows an IAM inspector (left) showing a staff member of a “cha chaan teng” (traditional Hong Kong and Macau-style café) a contact-tracing-function QR code for the Macau Health Code mobile app.
This undated handout photo released by the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) yesterday shows a staff member (left) telling a man to scan the contact-tracing-function QR code in the Londoner Macao resort in Cotai.
