The validity of the negative COVID-19 nucleic acid test (NAT) result for those entering Macau from Guangdong has been raised back to seven days from 72 hours.
The measure, which took effect at 00:00 today, was announced by Macau’s Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre in a statement yesterday.
Today’s commencement of the relaxed NAT validity for arrivals from Guangdong came after their NAT validity was raised to 72 hours from 48 hours on April 25.
Before the middle of January this year, the negative NAT result for those entering Macau from Guangdong was valid for seven days. However, their NAT validity was shortened to just 24 hours in the middle of January this year, after the detection of new local COVID-19 cases in Zhongshan and Zhuhai at that time.
The NAT validity for those entering Macau from Guangdong was raised to 48 hours at the end of January, after Zhongshan and Zhuhai’s COVID-19 situation had stabilised.
However, the NAT validity for those entering Macau from Guangdong was again shortened to just 24 hours from 48 hours around the middle of March, after Zhuhai saw a new wave of COVID-19 transmissions at that time.
Zhuhai’s COVID-19 epidemic situation started to ease in early April, but a few days later new local COVID-19 cases were detected in the provincial capital of Guangzhou.
As Guangzhou’s COVID-19 situation did not deteriorate, the Macau government first relaxed the NAT validity for arrivals from Guangdong to 48 hours on April 20, before further relaxing it to 72 hours on April 25.
Since then, the 72-hour NAT validity for those entering Macau from Guangdong had been in force for over one month. Starting today, the NAT validity has been raised back to seven days.
Observers have noted that over the past few weeks the Macau government had remained cautious about the possibility of raising the NAT validity for arrivals from Guangdong back to seven days due to “volatility” of the overall COVID-19 situation in the mainland.
The Macau government had previously said that it would need to “dynamically” assess the overall latest COVID-19 developments in the mainland as a whole before deciding whether the NAT validity for arrivals from Guangdong could be further raised back to seven days.
The negative COVID-19 NAT result for air passengers from the mainland, i.e., those entering Macau by air from mainland areas other than Guangdong, has been valid for seven days for quite a while. From today, the seven-day validity applies to the whole mainland.
Yesterday’s statement said that the Macau government has decided to raise the NAT validity for arrivals from Guangdong back to seven days after considering the “neighbouring regions’ latest COVID-19 developments”.
Yesterday’s statement also noted that non-Macau residents failing to present a valid NAT certificate will be refused entry, while Macau residents failing to display such a certificate must immediately undergo a COVID-19 nucleic acid test.
Macau’s checkpoints with Guangdong currently comprise several land border checkpoints with Zhuhai, as well as ferry services with Zhuhai’s Wanzai, and with Shenzhen’s Shekou.
Yesterday’s statement also noted that the validity of the negative NAT result for those entering Guangdong from Macau will remain unchanged at seven days.
Representatives from the local tourism sector yesterday acknowledged that the now seven-day NAT validity for arrivals from Guangdong would be helpful in boosting Macau’s tourism performance.
Yesterday’s statement again urged residents, non-resident workers and visitors to adhere to the practice of wearing a facemask. Those commuting between Macau and Zhuhai should always only travel between their homes, workplaces, and NAT stations, without visiting other venues unnecessarily, and they should also avoid visiting any venues which many people are using, the statement said.
Travellers entering from Zhuhai walk outside the arrival hall of the Barrier Gate border checkpoint earlier this year. Photo: MGTO
