Current situation’s caseload rises to 8
The Macau government announced yesterday that everyone in Macau must self-test for COVID-19 for three consecutive days, after a 43-year-old local woman and her two 13-year-old sons tested positive for the novel coronavirus yesterday.
The three-day rapid antigen test (RAT) drive will end tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the Macau government announced late last night that one more local woman, aged 34, who lives in the same building as the 43-year-old woman, also tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday.
According to yesterday’s announcements, the 43-year-old woman tested positive for COVID-19 in the early hours of yesterday after the Macau Health Bureau (SSM) carried out a nucleic acid test (NAT) on her, after the Zhuhai health authorities told their Macau counterparts on Saturday night that she had visited an express courier outlet in the underground shopping centre next to the Gongbei checkpoint on Tuesday last week at the same time as a person who was later diagnosed with COVID-19 in Zhuhai and a 66-year-old Macau female resident who tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Zhuhai on Tuesday night last week.
After the detection of the 43-year-old woman’s case, the Health Bureau carried out a nucleic acid test on her two sons, and both tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday morning.
2 sons study at same school
According to yesterday’s announcements, the woman works as a croupier at the MGM COTAI casino-hotel resort. Her two sons are F2 students at a secondary school in Ilha Verde district.
The woman has two homes in Macau, according to yesterday’s announcements, one in Block 1 of the Lai Va San Chun residential estate in Iao Hon district and the other one in Block 1 of the Arco Íris residential estate near the Barrier Gate checkpoint.
In addition to the ongoing three-day self-testing drive, all those who live or work in the vicinity of the 43-year-old woman’s two homes, and all those who live or work in the vicinity of her two sons’ school, are required to undergo three nucleic acid tests (NATs) in three days between yesterday and tomorrow.
MGM COTAI locked down
The two buildings where the woman lives were locked down yesterday, i.e., after having been listed as Red Code Zones. The two buildings’ residents are barred from leaving their homes and are required to undergo regular nucleic acid tests during their respective lockdown periods, which are provisionally slated to end on Saturday.
Furthermore, the MGM COTAI casino-hotel complex was also locked down. The operations of its casino, restaurants and shops have been suspended. Hotels guests have been required to remain in their rooms for quarantine, and casino workers and hotel staff have been barred from leaving the premises. They are all required to undergo daily nucleic acid tests during their three-day lockdown period, which is provisionally slated to end tomorrow.
NAT validity for Macau-Zhuhai travellers tightened to 24 hours
Moreover, the validity of the negative COVID-19 NAT result for those travelling between Macau and Zhuhai has been shortened to just 24 hours from 48 hours, which took effect at 6 p.m. yesterday.
The Zhuhai health authorities said in a statement yesterday that the 24-hour NAT validity is slated to be provisionally implemented for five days. The statement said that “if the ongoing COVID-19 situation stabilises”, the NAT validity will be raised back to 48 hours from 00:00 a.m. Saturday.
Macau’s current COVID-19 situation began on Tuesday last week when a 66-year-old local woman tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Zhuhai. Her 31-year-old son also tested positive for COVID-19 in Macau on Thursday after having been transferred to quarantine following his mother’s case. The woman and her son had frequently travelled between Macau and Zhuhai.
In addition, the woman’s younger sister, aged 63, who had also been transferred to medical observation, was also diagnosed with COVID-19 on Friday. The three residents live together in a flat in Weng Heng Building in Fai Chi Kei, which was locked down on Wednesday after the detection of the 66-year-old woman’s case.
Furthermore, a 57-year-old local man, who lives in the same building as the family of three, also tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday, when he was already in quarantine in the locked-down building.
Because of the 57-year-old man’s case, the lockdown period of Weng Heng Building, which was initially slated to end tomorrow, has been extended for two more days to Thursday.
The Macau Health Bureau has classified the 66-year-old woman’s case as imported, and the three more cases diagnosed later last week as cases connected to an imported case.
The 43-year-old woman’s case, which was announced yesterday, has been classified as an imported case, while her two sons’ cases, as well as the 34-year-old woman’s case, have been classified as cases connected to an imported case.
Consequently, as of last night eight cases have been reported amid Macau’s current COVID-19 situation.
Macau’s latest COVID-19 situation, including details of the four latest cases and the government’s latest special measures, was announced in various statements yesterday from the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre, the Health Bureau, as well as a press conference yesterday evening.
As previously, those who have self-tested for COVID-19 with an RAT kit must upload their results to the Health Bureau’s RAT online declaration system at https://app.ssm.gov.mo/generalrat
During the ongoing three-day self-testing drive, those failing to report a negative RAT result on the system will have their Macau Health Code turn yellow from 00:00 a.m. the next day. They will only have their health code return to green after reporting the result of the respective test on the system. If they continue to fail to report a negative result the next day, they will only have their health code return to green after undergoing a paid nucleic acid test.
NAT campaign’s areas
The ongoing three-day NAT campaign for those who live or work in the vicinity of the 43-year-old woman’s two homes, which started at 3 p.m. yesterday, covers an area surrounded by Avenida Norte do Hipódromo, Praça das Portas do Cerco (Barrier Gate Plaza), Avenida de Artur Tamagnini Barbosa, Travessa dos Cavaleiros, Rua Seis do Bairro Iao Hon, Rua Um do Bairro Iao Hon, Estrada Marginal do Hipódromo, Estrada da Areia Preta, Avenida de Venceslau de Morais, Avenida do Almirante Magalhães Correia, and Avenida Leste do Hipódromo.
The three-day NAT campaign also covers those who live or work in the vicinity of the school, namely an area surrounded by Rua de Lei Pou Ch’ôn, Estrada do Canal dos Patos, Rua do Laboratório, Rua Norte do Patane, Rua do Conselheiro Borja, and Avenida do General Castelo Branco.
Those covered by the ongoing three-day NAT campaign must self-test for COVID-19 with a RAT kit at home and upload their negative RAT result onto the Health Bureau’s declaration system before going to NAT stations for their nucleic acid tests. About four dozen NAT sampling stations are currently operating across the city. A Health Bureau statement yesterday said that each of the three required nucleic acid tests must be carried out at least 12 hours apart.
NAT areas affect 80,000 people
During yesterday evening’s press conference about Macau’s current COVID-19 situation, Health Bureau Director Alvis Lo Iek Long said that around 80,000 people are living in the areas covered by the ongoing three-day NAT campaign.
According to a statement last night, the 34-year-old woman lives in Block 1 of the Lai Va San Chun residential estate, one of the 43-year-old’s woman two homes.
Class suspension affects 1,000
Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) Director Kong Chi Meng announced during yesterday’s press conference that because of the detection of the two boys’ cases, the school where they study, Ilha Verde Secondary School, will suspend classes for seven days through Saturday. According to Kong, the measure affects around 1,000 teachers and students, whose Macau Health Code has meanwhile turned yellow for the seven-day period, during which they are required to undergo five nucleic acid tests.
Kong also said that the students affected by the class suspension should stay at home as much as they can.
Lo underlined that the sources of the cases announced yesterday have been “clearly identified”, and their transmission chains were “clear”.
Lo also said that the mother and her two sons have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
Police officers in protective gear prepare to lock down MGM COTAI yesterday afternoon where a 43-year-old local woman who tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday works as a casino dealer. – Photo: Maria Cheang Ut Meng
This photo taken yesterday afternoon shows the locked-down MGM COTAI casino-hotel complex. – Photos: Maria Cheang Ut Meng
Members of government staff work outside the locked-down Block 1 of the Lai Va San Chun residential estate in Iao Hon district yesterday.
