Addressing yesterday’s regular press conference about Macau’s novel coronavirus situation, Leong Iek Hou, who heads the Communicable Disease Prevention and Control Division of the Health Bureau (SSM), said that in a possible worst-case scenario in which Macau is hard hit by a large number of new COVID-19 cases within a short period of time, the local government would ask the central government to provide support.
The local government has repeatedly warned that Macau is facing a “constantly increasing” risk of suffering COVID-19 community transmissions, as the city has been continuously seeing COVID-19 positive cases imported from Hong Kong since early last week.
Macau’s Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre announced yesterday morning that two more arrivals from Hong Kong have tested positive for COVID-19. The centre has classified the two cases as imported and asymptomatic, because of which they have not been added to Macau’s novel coronavirus tally, which therefore remains at 80.
During yesterday evening’s press conference, Leong acknowledged that Macau has reported 13 COVID-19 positive cases imported from Hong Kong since earlier this month, comprising 12 asymptomatic cases and one confirmed case. i.e., a patient suffering COVID-19 symptoms.
From today, all those arriving from Hong Kong are only transferred to Treasure Hotel – a special quarantine hotel previously only earmarked for those arriving from a foreign country. Consequently, from today both arrivals from Hong Kong and from foreign countries will be transferred to the hotel, which is located opposite the local airport.
Positive rate of 2.6 percent among HK arrivals
Leong said that during this period, i.e., since Macau started to see COVID-19 positive cases imported from Hong Kong, 497 people have arrived in Macau, representing a COVID-19 positive rate of 2.6 percent, which she said is “very high”.
Leong noted that most of the COVID-19 positive cases imported from Hong Kong were detected when the carriers of the novel coronavirus were undergoing their hotel quarantine, adding that this situation is still posing a COVID-19 risk to those working at quarantine hotels, despite the fact that quarantine hotel staff working in a COVID-19 high risk environment are subject to “closed-door management” measures.
Consequently, Leong said, the local government has concluded that it is necessary for all those arriving from Hong Kong to be transferred to a quarantine hotel equipped with the higher-standard facilities for COVID-19 prevention – namely Treasure Hotel.
Leong underlined that this new arrangement will reduce the COVID-19 risk to the community in Macau in case those arriving from Hong Kong test positive for the novel coronavirus during their hotel quarantine period.
Leong also said that the Macau government does not rule out the possibility of extending its hotel quarantine period for arrivals from Hong Kong from 14 days to 21 days in line with the latest COVID-19 developments there.
Leong also acknowledged that in the Health Bureau’s Public Health Clinical Centre which has 60 isolation wards with 110 beds, 43 beds in 40 wards are being used, adding that this situation is “putting pressure” on the availability of isolation beds there. But Leong was quick to add that the government expects the Public Health Clinical Centre to be able to accommodate more COVID-19 patients despite the fact that Macau has been constantly reporting COVID-19 positive cases that have been imported.
Leong noted that Macau has reported 30 COVID-19 positive cases that have been imported since the beginning of this year, comprising 29 asymptomatic cases and one confirmed case. All the 30 cases have been imported from foreign countries and Hong Kong.
Leong also said that the Macau government has come up with a contingency plan for a possible scenario in which the Public Health Clinical Centre is almost full, according to which COVID-19 close contacts and asymptomatic COVID-19 patients detected during their hotel quarantine will be transferred to other temporary isolation facilities.
Leong said during a current affairs phone-in programme hosted by public broadcaster TDM’s Chinese-language radio channel of public broadcaster on Wednesday that the Macau government has come up with contingency plans for the possible occurrence of different levels of COVID-19 situations in Macau.
Replying to media questions during yesterday’s press conference, Leong reaffirmed that the Macau government is planning the setting-up of a community treatment and isolation facility to house possibly a large number of new COVID-19 patients.
Leong said that in case Macau is hit by an extremely bad situation in which the city is reporting a large number of new COVID-19 patients within a short period of time, thereby exceeding the local government’s full capacity to tackle the situation, it will ask the central government to provide support to help Macau win its battle against COVID-19.
Leong said that therefore it is very important for Macau to avoid a worst-case scenario by carrying out strict COVID-19 prevention measures with the aim of detecting possible cases as early as possible.
Meanwhile, the two COVID-19 asymptomatic cases imported from Hong Kong that were announced yesterday morning comprise a 30-year-old local man and a 63-year-old Hong Kong man.
Leong Iek Hou, who heads the Health Bureau’s (SSM) Communicable Disease Prevention and Control Division, addresses yesterday’s press conference about the city’s COVID-19 situation. Photo: Tony Wong
