Among Macau’s various business sectors, the jewellery sector has been impacted the most by the novel coronavirus pandemic since early 2020 when COVID-19 started to affect the city, Lei Cheok Kuan, the owner of a jewellery shop near the St Paul’s Ruins landmark, told The Macau Post Daily in a recent phone interview.
Lei is the chairman of the Industry and Commerce Federation of Macau’s Central and Southern Districts.
Lei said that the jewellery sector is different to other sectors, such as the cultural and creative industries, as jewellery products cannot be sold online to the mainland.
Therefore, Lei said, the gold jewellery sector is unable to profit through online sales, while less income can be made due to the impact of COVID-19 with fewer tourists visiting Macau.
Lei added that there are minor restrictions for most local businesses other than the gold jewellery sector selling products to the mainland if their products do not need to go through health quarantine. However, Lei underlined, the gold jewellery sector, is subject to major restrictions as far as sales to the mainland are concerned.
Lei told The Macau Post Daily that his business had improved in the days before the current COVID-19 outbreak.
The current outbreak’s first case was confirmed on June 18.
However, he said, due to the outbreak, his sales have started to drop again, adding that in order to be in line with the government’s pandemic prevention measures which are urging businesses to close their shops temporarily so as to decrease the risk of COVID-19 transmission, nine out of 10 jewellery shops in Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro have been closed during the current outbreak.
Lei said the COVID-19 impact has been affecting the sector seriously, adding that the industry has been under “very great” pressure owing to its high expenses, such as staff salaries and rent so that it is tough for people in the sector to continue their businesses.
Under the pressure and impact brought about by the novel coronavirus, Lei said he hopes the government could discuss with the mainland authorities an increase in the amount of money that mainland tourists can spend in Macau, adding that mainlanders returning home currently can only take luxury goods worth 20,000 yuan (24,120 patacas) duty-free across the border. Lei said that mainland tourists cannot buy many pieces of gold jewellery in Macau for just 20,000 yuan and that’s why, he said, mainlanders do not dare to buy “many gold jewellery items” in Macau due to the official duty-free limits on taking luxury goods from Macau with them when they return home.
Meanwhile, speaking as chairman of the Industry and Commerce Federation of Macau’s Central and Southern Districts, Lei said Macau’s economic structure is “too homogeneous”, adding that the city is also too dependent on the gaming sector, which causes the city’s gross domestic product (GDP) to drop sharply when fewer tourists come to Macau. Therefore, Lei urged the government to follow the mainland government authorities’ suggestion to encourage Macau’s gaming operators to boost the number of visitors from overseas to come to the city to gamble which could then benefit the casinos by paying lower levies to the government.
This photo taken last Wednesday shows just a few people walking near St. Paul’s Ruins with just a few shops open for business due to the current COVID-19 outbreak. Photo: Yuki Lei
