The Macau government has rolled out a programme that enables local residents, non-resident workers (NRWs), and non-local students enrolled in Macau’s higher education institutions to buy rapid antigen test (RAT) kits used for COVID-19 self-tests from designated outlets at a discounted price.
The Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre announced the programme, which starts today, in a statement yesterday.
According to the statement, each eligible individual can buy a total five RAT kits at the fixed price of 20 patacas, i.e., four patacas per kit, from today until January 4 next year.
However, yesterday’s statement did not mention whether the government will continue with the programme after the current 30-day promotion is completed.
According to the statement, COVID-19 RAT kits provided by the programme are sold at 55 designated pharmacies, and five venues run by the Macau Women’s General Association, commonly known as Fu Luen in Cantonese.
Buyers in the three eligible groups must present their original Macau ID card, NRW permit (“blue card”), or student card.
Yesterday’s statement said that in the wake of Macau’s latest COVID-19 developments, self-testing for the novel coronavirus with an RAT kit has now become an important supplementary measure for COVID-19 prevention and control. The statement said that the new programme aims to enable residents and certain other groups staying in Macau to buy COVID-19 RAT kits in a more convenient way.
The statement also said that people can return unqualified or defective RAT kits that have been purchased through the programme to public health centres, and change them for new ones.
Discounted-price facemasks since early 2020
The Macau government rolled out its facemask purchase scheme in early 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic began to affect the city, enabling local residents, non-resident workers, and non-local students enrolled in Macau’s higher education institutions to buy facemasks at designated outlets at a discounted price. The facemask purchase programme is still ongoing.
Under the current version of the government’s facemask purchase scheme, each local resident, non-resident worker and non-local student enrolled in local higher education institutions is entitled to buy 30 facemasks at the fixed price of 24 patacas every 30 days at designated outlets upon presentation of their original Macau ID card, work permit or student card.
The facemasks sold under the scheme are colloquially known as “government masks”.
Currently, “government masks” are sold at 55 designated pharmacies, five Fu Luen venues, and three venues run by the Macau Federation of Trade Unions (Gung Luen).
During each 30-day round of the scheme, parents or legal guardians are entitled to buy 30 facemasks for each child aged between three and eight. Currently, child facemasks are only sold at designated pharmacies.
Macau logs 16 new COVID-19 cases yesterday
Meanwhile, the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre announced in a statement last night that Macau yesterday reported 16 new COVID-19 cases involving the community.
Last night’s statement also pointed out that as of 6 p.m. yesterday, Macau had reported a total of 56 COVID-19 cases since Monday last week.
Some of the 56 cases were related to a cluster that started with a taxi driver on Monday last week.
Last night’s statement said that the 16 new COVID-19 carriers or patients detected yesterday comprise 11 females and five males, aged between 14 and 61. As of 6 p.m. yesterday, the statement said, 10 of them had been classified as asymptomatic cases, while the other six had been classified as confirmed cases because of having come down with COVID-19 symptoms.
According to the statement, seven of the 16 cases were detected in the Health Bureau’s (SSM) Public Health Clinical Centre in Coloane or quarantine hotels used for COVID-19 medical observation, while the other nine cases were detected in the community.
The nine cases detected in the community, according to the statement, comprised two close contacts, three detected by nucleic acid tests (NATs) carried out in Macau, three confirmed by NAT results reported in Zhuhai, and one detected by a rapid antigen test (RAT).
The nine cases detected in the community in Macau comprised six that have been classified by the Macau Health Bureau as imported from the mainland, and three classified as connected to imported cases, the statement said.
According to last night’s statement, the 16 COVID-19 carriers or patients comprise eight local residents, six mainlanders, a Hong Kong man, and a female non-resident worker from Vietnam.
The Macau Health Bureau acknowledged on Saturday that as various regions in the mainland are currently being hit by a COVID-19 outbreak, the Macau government is currently facing “big pressure” in its work on preventing cases being imported from the mainland.
Stricter NAT & RAT rules for arrivals from mainland
Macau’s Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre announced in a statement late last night that from today those entering Macau from the mainland who are not required to undergo hotel quarantine upon arrival here are now required to comply with stricter nucleic acid test (NAT) and rapid antigen test (RAT) requirements.
The statement noted that those who have visited high-risk COVID-19 areas in the mainland continue to be required to undergo five days of hotel quarantine plus three days of home isolation upon their arrival in Macau.
According to the statement, those who have visited low-risk COVID-19 areas in the mainland are required to display a 24-hour NAT result and a six-hour RAT result upon arrival in Macau.
After arriving in Macau, the statement said, they are required to undergo four nucleic acid tests in five days. In addition, they are required to self-test for COVID-19 with an RAT kit every day for five consecutive days.
According to the statement, those who have only visited areas in the mainland where “normalised” COVID-19 prevention and control measures are in force are required to display a 48-hour NAT result and six-hour RAT result upon arrival in Macau, if they enter Macau from all other areas outside Zhuhai.
The statement said that they are required to undergo a nucleic acid test upon arrival in Macau, after which they are required to undergo two nucleic acid tests, each on the first and second day after arriving here.
In addition, the statement said, they are also required to self-test for COVID-19 every day for five consecutive days.
According to the statement, those entering from Zhuhai who have only visited areas in the mainland where “normalised” COVID-19 prevention and control measures are in force are required to display a 24-hour NAT result, without the need to display an RAT result.
The statement said that they are required to undergo two nucleic acid tests, each on the first and second day after arriving in Macau. In addition, they are also required to self-test for COVID-19 with an RAT kit every day for five consecutive days.
As of yesterday, Macau’s official COVID-19 tally stood at 820 confirmed and 1,986 asymptomatic cases, of which 791 and 1,897 respectively had meanwhile been cured. The novel coronavirus death toll remained at six.
This undated file photo shows a box containing five COVID-19 rapid antigen test (RAT) kits.
– Photo: Rui Pastorin
