A local resident who returned to Macau from Singapore on Monday has tested positive for COVID-19, Macau’s Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre announced yesterday.
According to a statement by the centre, the asymptomatic patient is a 51-year-old man who has received three mRNA jabs. He tested negative for COVID-19 in a nucleic acid test (NAT) in Singapore on Sunday.
The man flew to Macau the next day, when he tested positive for the novel coronavirus upon arrival at the local airport, because of which he was then transferred to the Health Bureau’s (SSM) Public Health Clinical Centre in Coloane for isolation.
Meanwhile, the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre has also announced seven other asymptomatic COVID-19 cases imported from a number of foreign countries and Hong Kong.
All the seven patients are local residents.
The first patient is a 68-year-old woman who returned to Macau from the Philippines via Singapore on Wednesday last week. She had previously received three mRNA jabs. She tested positive for the novel coronavirus upon arrival at the local airport, according to a statement by the centre on Thursday last week.
The second patient is a 66-year-old man who returned to Macau from Hong Kong on Thursday last week, while the third patient is a 25-year-old man who returned to Macau from the United Kingdom via Singapore on Wednesday last week, according to a statement by the centre on Saturday. Both have received three mRNA jabs. Both underwent a COVID-19 test upon their arrival in Macau, but each came up with an uncertain result. However, both tested positive for the novel coronavirus in a follow-up test on Friday last week.
The other four patients, whose cases were announced in a statement by the centre on Sunday, comprise a 58-year-old man and his three-year-old son arriving from Vietnam via Singapore, a 38-year-old man arriving from the Republic of Ireland via Singapore, and a 47-year-old woman arriving from Australia via Singapore.
The first three of the four patients tested positive for the novel coronavirus upon arrival at the local airport on Saturday. The 47-year-old woman tested negative upon arrival at the local airport on Monday last week, because of which she was then transferred to a quarantine hotel for medical observation. However, she tested positive for COVID-19 in a follow-up test on Saturday.
The 58-year-old man had previously received three inactivated jabs, while his son had received one inactivated jab. Both the other two patients had previously received three mRNA jabs.
All seven patients are undergoing isolation at the Public Health Clinical Centre.
The eight cases have raised Macau’s asymptomatic COVID-19 tally to 96.
Macau’s total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases remains at 82.
Latest entry rules for compatriots & foreigners
Meanwhile, an executive order signed by Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng was published in the Official Gazette (BO) on Monday, laying out the Macau government’s latest COVID-19 entry restrictions for mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan compatriots as well as foreign nationals, and abolishing various previous chief executive orders on the matter. The chief executive order, named 64/2022, took effect yesterday.
According to the chief executive order published on Monday, the Macau government will keep its entry ban on foreign nationals without a Macau ID card, which has been implemented since March 2020, under general circumstances.
According to the executive order, which took effect yesterday, mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan compatriots who have been to a foreign country within 14 days prior to their intended entry into Macau are now barred from entering the city, a relaxation from the previous situation in which they were barred from entering the city if they had been to a foreign country within 21 days prior to their intended entry here.
The executive order also states that the Health Bureau can grant certain foreigners an exemption from the entry ban, after assessing the COVID-19 risk from the relevant countries or regions and imposing various special entry measures, in response to certain needs from Macau residents or organisations. A statement by the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre on Monday pointed out that the rule means that the Health Bureau will continue with its current measure that allows foreigners to apply to enter Macau from the mainland or Hong Kong under certain special circumstances.
Monday’s statement by the centre also said that the rule has given the Health Bureau a green light to launch its pilot programme of granting Philippine domestic helpers an exemption from its current entry ban on foreigners, the application process of which started on Monday.
According to the executive order, the Macau government will continue to grant exceptions to the entry ban to foreigners entering from foreign countries or Taiwan in very special cases.
A health worker takes a swab sample from a woman for a nucleic acid test (NAT) at a mobile COVID-19 sampling site outside Sha Tin Town Hall in Hong Kong on Monday. – Photo: Xinhua
