The Macau government announced last night that from tomorrow nationals from 41 foreign countries will be allowed to enter Macau directly from the Chinese regions of Hong Kong and Taiwan as well as from all foreign countries and regions without having to apply for entry beforehand.
Macau’s Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre announced the measure, which will take effect at 00:00 tomorrow, in a statement last night.
According to the statement, the 41 countries comprise Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
This means that arrivals from about one-fifth of the world’s nations will now be able to visit Macau again.
The United Nations has 193 member states.
The Macau government published an executive order signed by Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng in the Official Gazette (BO) yesterday, which further relaxes its COVID-19 entry restrictions for mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan compatriots, as well as non-resident foreigners (i.e., foreign nationals without a Macau ID card). The chief executive order will take effect at 00:00 tomorrow.
According to the executive order, mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan compatriots will be allowed to enter Macau provided that they comply with the Macau Health Bureau’s (SSM) COVID-19 entry measures.
A Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre statement yesterday noted that according to the executive order, mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan residents who have visited foreign countries or regions prior to their intended entry into Macau will also be allowed to enter Macau from anywhere in the world.
“Residents from the Chinese mainland, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Taiwan region who have visited any countries or regions outside China before their entry [into Macau] will be allowed to enter Macau from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan as well as from any countries or regions outside China,” the statement said.
The new measure for mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan compatriots that will take effect tomorrow will be a relaxation from the current arrangements according to which mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan residents who have been to a foreign country within 14 days prior to their intended entry into Macau are barred from entering Macau.
The new measure that will take effect tomorrow means the Macau government’s lifting of its long-time entry ban on mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan compatriots who have visited foreign countries prior to their intended entry into Macau, which has been in force since March 2020.
According to yesterday’s executive order, with the aim of meeting the needs for the movement of people, and after the Macau Health Bureau’s COVID-19 risk assessments for different countries and regions worldwide, the Macau government will allow non-resident foreigners from certain foreign countries to enter Macau from tomorrow, provided that they comply with the Macau Health Bureau’s COVID-19 entry measures.
The Macau government imposed its blanket entry ban on non-resident foreigners in March 2020. Since last year, the Macau government has been gradually relaxing its COVID-19 entry restrictions for non-resident foreigners, i.e., gradually lifting its entry ban on more and more groups and categories of foreign nationals meeting certain special conditions or requirements.
For instance, since last year, certain groups of foreign nationals have been allowed to apply to enter Macau from the mainland or Hong Kong.
Since earlier this year, the Macau government has been continuing to further relax its entry restrictions for non-resident foreigners. For instance, more and more groups of foreign nationals have been allowed to enter Macau directly from the mainland without having to apply for entry in advance. In addition, some certain groups of foreign nationals have been allowed to apply to enter Macau from foreign countries.
Observers noted that yesterday’s executive order that will take effect tomorrow could be regarded as significant relaxations of Macau’s COVID-19 entry restrictions for foreign nationals.
Last night’s statement by the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre said that according to yesterday’s executive order, the Macau government’s various relaxed entry measures for various groups of non-resident foreigners that have been rolled out since earlier this year will continue from tomorrow.
For instance, according to last night’s statement, foreign non-resident workers (NRWs), and foreign students enrolled in Macau’s higher education institutions who need to commute frequently between the mainland and Macau, will continue to be allowed to enter Macau directly from the mainland without the need to apply to the Macau Health Bureau in advance.
According to last night’s statement, non-resident foreigners who are family members of local residents will continue to be allowed to apply to enter Macau from any countries or regions.
The statement underlined that according to the Macau Health Bureau’s current COVID-19 entry measures, all those who have entered Macau from Hong Kong, Taiwan or foreign countries must undergo seven days of hotel quarantine plus three days of self-health management.
This undated file photo shows the local airport in Taipa. – Photo courtesy of TDM
