Macau's current COVID-19 outbreak, which began on June 18, has risen by just two cases to 1,816, the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre announced this morning.
It was the third consecutive day that no novel coronavirus cases were detected in the community.
Of the two cases, none was found in the community. Both 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 two 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 787 confirmed and 1,365 asymptomatic cases respectively, according to the website of the Health Bureau (SSM) as of 2:45 p.m. today. A total of 489 of the confirmed cases and 810 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 continues with its free but 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.
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 launched on Saturday a weeklong "consolidation period" in its ongoing fight against COVID-19.
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 on Saturday.
Banks reopened after a two-week break yesterday. However, strict COVID-19 prevention and control measures remain in place during the consolidation period and people are supposed to leave their homes only 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 refusers, some of who have been warned, fined and/or sentenced to suspended jail terms.
The government ordered on Saturday all construction site workers to undergo NATs every day from today. Other key groups such as cleaners and security guards are also undergoing mandatory NATs every day.
Meanwhile, the world's COVID-19 tally stands at 576 million, including 6.4 million fatalities, according to worldometers.info. The United States' number of COVID-19 deaths amounts to 1.05 million, more than in any other country.
