The Macau government has amended certain rules for its mandatory COVID-19 vaccination requirement for those departing for Macau from foreign countries as well as the Chinese regions of Hong Kong and Taiwan.
The amendments, which will take effect at 00:00 on Sunday, were announced by the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre in a statement yesterday.
The statement said that according to the new requirement, all those aged 12 or over departing for Macau from a foreign country, Hong Kong or Taiwan will have to present a certificate confirming that they have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 at least 14 days prior, i.e., having developed basic full immunity, or a doctor’s certificate confirming that their condition is unsuitable to be inoculated against the novel coronavirus for a period of over two months.
The statement noted that normally those vaccinated against COVID-19 require two jabs to develop basic full immunity, i.e., if they receive a two-dose vaccine.
Many of the COVID-19 vaccines that are being used worldwide are two-dose vaccines. Some COVID-19 vaccines are single or three-dose vaccines.
According to the statement, the travellers must present the required certificate when boarding a flight from a foreign country en route to Macau, boarding a shuttle bus (aka Golden Bus) from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to Macau via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HZMB), or boarding a flight from the Taiwan region to Macau.
According to the new requirement, which will take effect on Sunday, travellers aged 18 or over who received the last required shot of their basic-full-immunity COVID-19 vaccinations over seven months ago will also have to present a certificate confirming that they have received at least one COVID-19 booster jab.
Since October last year, the Macau government has required all those aged 12 or over departing for Macau from a foreign country to have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 – or present a doctor’s certificate confirming that they are unable to be inoculated against the novel coronavirus.
The Macau government extended its mandatory COVID-19 vaccination requirement for all those aged 12 or over departing for Macau from Hong Kong or Taiwan last month – or presentation of a doctor’s certificate for COVID-19 jab unsuitability.
Currently, only those departing for Macau from the mainland are not covered by the Macau government’s mandatory COVID-19 inoculation requirement.
Differences b/w new & current jab rules
The current version of the Macau government’s COVID-19 vaccination requirement, which is still valid currently, states that the respective travellers last required shot of their basic-full-immunity COVID-19 vaccinations must have been administered within seven months prior to departing for Macau, which means that, according to the government, those who received the last required shot more than seven months ago have to receive a booster jab. According to the current version, such a requirement is applicable to travellers aged 12 or over.
A spokesperson for the Health Bureau (SSM) told The Macau Post Daily yesterday that the third dose as a COVID-19 booster jab has been administered in many countries and regions for a period of time, normally exceeding seven months, but almost no countries and regions have commenced the administration of a fourth dose. Consequently, the spokesperson said, the Macau government has slightly amended its booster jab requirement for arrivals from foreign countries as well as Hong Kong and Taiwan – those who received the last required shot of their basic-full-immunity COVID-19 vaccinations over seven months ago will also have to present a certificate confirming that they have received at least one COVID-19 booster jab. The spokesperson noted that this amendment will enable those who received a third dose more than seven months ago to also meet the Macau government’s COVID-19 vaccination requirement for arrivals from foreign countries, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
The spokesperson also said that the Macau government has decided to increase the minimum age of arrivals from foreign countries, Hong Kong and Taiwan to be covered by its booster jab requirement from the age of 12 to 18 after considering the age coverage of a COVID-19 booster jab across the world.
Currently, Macau’s COVID-19 booster vaccination programme only covers those aged 18 or over.
In addition, the current version of the Macau government’s COVID-19 vaccination requirement does not require a doctor’s certificate to indicate how long the holder’s unsuitability for COVID-19 vaccinations will last.
The spokesperson said yesterday that the new over-two-month requirement that will take effect on Sunday aims to prevent the respective travellers from choosing not to be vaccinated against the novel coronavirus due to their unsuitability for COVID-19 vaccinations for merely a short period of time such as suffering from an acute disease.
A health worker administers a COVID-19 jab to a girl at the Macau Forum vaccination facility in Zape on Saturday. Photo courtesy of TDM
