Macau's current COVID-19 outbreak, which began on June 18, has risen by just five cases to 1,810, the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre announced this morning.
Of the 5 cases, none was found in the community. All the cases were discovered in locked-down ("Red Code Zone") buildings and medical observation quarantine hotels, the centre said in a statement.
According to the statement, the five cases were diagnosed between 00.00 and 11:59 p.m. yesterday.
Macau's tally of confirmed and asymptomatic COVID-19 cases accumulated since January 22, 2020 stands at 783 confirmed and 1,357 asymptomatic cases respectively, according to the website of the Health Bureau (SSM) as of 1:40 today. A total of 413 of the confirmed cases and 710 of the asymptomatic cases have been cured, the bureau said.
Six COVID-19 deaths have been reported in Macau since the start of the pandemic in January 2020. The six victims - five females and a male - were senior citizens suffering from a range of chronic diseases.
Macau will continue with its mandatory nucleic acid test (NAT) rounds this week. Anyone in Macau – not just residents but also non-resident workers and visitors – must also self-test once a day.
Starting on Friday, Philippine nationals in Macau must undergo daily NATs, the government announced yesterday. The free tests are mandatory. Health Bureau (SSM) officials pointed out that Filipinos account for nearly 10 percent of the cases in the current COVID-19 outbreak and about 25 percent of the cases in the past two weeks.
The Philippine Consulate-General again urged its compatriots in Macau yesterday to participate in the NAT drive and not to politicise it but to regard it as a sheer health issue. The consulate pointed out that other nationality groups in Macau have previously also been ordered to undergo mandatory NATs.
The local government has previously ordered nationals from Nepal, Vietnam and Myanmar to be tested for COVID-19.
The consulate said that about 30,000 Philippine nationals live in Macau, or about 4.5 percent of Macau's population of 680,000.
The government has been distributing free rapid antigen test (RAT) kits (self-tests) among the population, the results of which are to be uploaded to an app of the Health Bureau (SSM) for verification. It has also been handing out free KN95 masks at testing stations. Before going for a nucleic acid test, everyone must first self-test at home to prevent the virus from spreading at testing stations.
Macau reported its first novel coronavirus case on January 22, 2020.
The Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) has been closely coordinating its anti-COVID-19 measures with the National Health Commission (NHC) in Beijing. In general, Macau follows the mainland's dynamic zero-COVID policy that is focused on preventing fatalities and serious cases.
Hundreds of health workers from the mainland are assisting the local authorities in battling the current outbreak driven by the highly infectious OMICRON BA.5.1 subvariant.
The government announced on Wednesday an initially weeklong "consolidation period" today in its ongoing fight against COVID-19. The consolidation period, which began yesterday, has replaced a weeklong "relatively static" state of restrictions on people's movements and business operations.
During the consolidation period, casinos and "non-essential businesses" are allowed to reopen for business. However, entertainment businesses other than casinos as well as malls remain closed. Dog owners are again be able to take their furry friends for a walk. Restaurants will continue to be allowed to sell takeaways only.
Casinos reopened yesterday. Some hair salons opened shortly after midnight yesterday, with queues outside their premises, mostly male customers.
Banks will reopen tomorrow. However, strict COVID-19 prevention and control measures will remain in place during the consolidation period and people are supposed to only leave their homes for work or other "urgent and necessary" matters, according to an executive order by Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng.
The wearing of KN95 facemasks remains mandatory during the consolidation period, which provisionally is slated to last through Friday.
The government's firm measures to tackle the current COVID-19 Omicron BA.5.1 outbreak have been heeded by virtually the entire population, with the exception of a small number of recusants, some of who have been warned, fined and/or sentenced to suspended jail terms.
The government ordered yesterday all construction site workers to undergo NATs every day from today. Other key groups such as cleaners and security guards are also undergoing daily NATs.
This photo taken yesterday shows the dearth of tourists at the UNESCO World Heritage-listed St. Paul's Ruins landmark yesterday. – Photo: MPDG
