Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes admitted yesterday that it will be difficult for the local government to “significantly increase” the available number of quarantine hotel guestrooms in the near future for the rising number of Macau residents enrolled in universities in Hong Kong who are eager to return home
The tourism chief also urged civil society to give the government time to resolve the issue.
Senna Fernandes made the remarks while speaking to reporters in Largo do Pagode do Bazar (康公廟前地) – i.e., the recreational area outside Hong Kung Temple (康公廟) – in the Inner Harbour area on the sidelines of an event to celebrate the Chinese New Year of the Tiger organised by the Welfare and Mutual Help Association for Rua de Cinco de Outubro and Surrounding Areas (十月初五街區坊眾互助會).
Since November last year, all those departing for Macau who are required to undergo hotel quarantine upon arrival here must make a prior booking for a guestroom before travelling to Macau.
Macau’s quarantine hotels currently comprise three types, namely 1) special hotels, 2) designated hotels, and 3) hotels of the respective arrivals’ choice (aka self-selected hotels).
Currently, Macau has one special quarantine hotel, namely Treasure Hotel, which is used for those arriving from foreign countries – i.e., currently those who catch a flight or a connecting flight from Singapore to Macau.
Those arriving from all other COVID-19-affected areas, namely Hong Kong and Taiwan as well as areas in the mainland that are affected by local COVID-19 cases, can choose between designated hotels or self-selected hotels for their medical observation. Currently, Macau has a designated hotel – Pousada Marina Infante, and two self-selected hotels – Regency Art Hotel and Grand Coloane Resort.
According to reports by public broadcaster TDM last week, many Macau residents enrolled in universities in Hong Kong are keen to return to Macau as most of the universities there have switched to online teaching amid the neighbouring special administrative region’s deteriorating COVID-19 outbreak. According to the TDM reports, the students cannot book a hotel guestroom for their medical observation here because quarantine hotels are fully booked, so they cannot return to Macau right away.
In addition, according to the TDM reports, halls of residence in certain universities in Hong Kong have urged all their students to move out because of the detection of COVID-19 cases there, forcing students from Macau to return home.
MGTO officials admitted last week that except Treasure Hotel – a special quarantine hotel only earmarked for those arriving from foreign countries – which still has guestrooms available, all other quarantine hotels in Macau have been fully booked. Health Bureau (SSM) officials said last week that on average about 100 people travel to Macau from Hong Kong, Taiwan or foreign countries every day, because of which the number of quarantine hotel guestrooms available for booking was becoming increasingly insufficient.
60 enquiries from Macau students in HK
Speaking to reporters yesterday, Senna Fernandes said that the Macau government has received enquiries from about 60 students from Macau stranded in Hong Kong who said that they were unable to book a quarantine hotel guestroom. Senna Fernandes underlined that her office is assessing the matter with the Health Bureau and the Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ), adding she believed that the government would finally come up with solutions to help the affected students.
Senna Fernandes said that DSEDJ officials are collecting information from Macau students in Hong Kong about when they plan to return to Macau.
The tourism chief also said that a hotel can only be used as a quarantine facility after its equipment and facilities have been adjusted in a way that meets Health Bureau specifications required for a quarantine hotel, because of which, she said, only very few hotel owners are willing to convert their hotels into a quarantine facility.
Security guards unwilling to work for quarantine hotels
Senna Fernandes also noted that quarantine-hotel staff working in COVID-19 high-risk environments are subject to “closed-loop management” measures, because of which, she said, many security guards are unwilling to work at quarantine hotels.
Senna Fernandes also said that with the ongoing recovery of Macau’s tourism sector, the need for hotel guestrooms for visitors who do not need to quarantine has been increasing, adding that this predicament was also discouraging owners of local hotels from converting their hotels into a quarantine facility.
Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes talks to reporters in the recreational area outside Hong Kung Temple yesterday. Photo courtesy of TDM
