The Macau government announced yesterday that the city’s ongoing anti-COVID-19 “transition” period will end on Sunday, when it will scrap almost all of its COVID-19 entry curbs and measures, such as completely lifting its long-running entry ban on non-resident foreigners (i.e., foreign nationals without a Macau ID card), and cancelling all COVID-19 testing requirements for those departing for Macau from the mainland, Hong Kong or Taiwan.
From Sunday, according to yesterday’s announcements, arrivals from foreign countries will still be required to display a 48-hour negative nucleic acid test (NAT) or rapid antigen test (RAT) result when embarking on their trip to Macau.
Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Elsie Ao Ieong U made the announcements during a special press conference at the Health Bureau yesterday afternoon, which was also attended by several senior officials such as Health Bureau (SSM) Director Alvis Lo Iek Long, after the central government announced earlier yesterday its latest easing of COVID-19 entry measures for arrivals from Hong Kong and Macau.
The central government’s new COVID-19 entry measures for Hong Kong and Macau arrivals will take effect on Sunday, according to which the mainland will lift its mandatory quarantine requirements for Hong Kong arrivals, but they will be required to display a 48-hour negative NAT result when entering the mainland, while those entering the mainland from Macau will no longer be required to display any COVID-19 NAT result as long as they have not visited any places outside the mainland and Macau, i.e., Hong Kong, Taiwan and foreign countries.
The Macau government imposed its blanket entry ban on non-resident foreigners in March 2020. Since 2021, the Macau government has been gradually relaxing its COVID-19 entry restrictions for non-resident foreigners, and the relaxations proceeded more quickly last year.
The Macau government’s new entry measures for arrivals announced yesterday will take effect at 00:00 a.m. on Sunday.
Ao Ieong announced during yesterday’s press conference that flight transits at the local airport will resume on Sunday.
Entry ban on foreigners to be fully lifted
According to Ao Ieong, the Macau government will cancel all its COVID-19 entry restrictions for all foreign nationals on Sunday, meaning that all of them will once again be allowed to enter Macau from any countries and regions without prior authorisation by the Macau Health Bureau, she said.
The Macau government abandoned its long-running dynamic zero-COVID approach early last month. Those arriving in Macau from Hong Kong, Taiwan or foreign countries have no longer been required to undergo home quarantine since December 23, which came after the Macau government had scrapped its long-running mandatory hotel quarantine for them on December 17.
Mainland Chinese arrivals have never been subject to Macau’s mandatory quarantine rules since the COVID-19 pandemic began to affect Macau in early 2020.
Ao Ieong also said yesterday that the Macau government will cancel its health declaration for all arrivals at all checkpoints on Sunday, i.e., all those arriving in Macau will no longer be required to report their state of health upon arrival here. In addition, she said, the local government will also cancel all its self-health management requirements for those staying in Macau after arriving here.
Testing arrangements for arrivals
Moreover, Ao Ieong also announced the local government’s new COVID-19 testing arrangements for those departing for Macau, which will take effect on Sunday, during yesterday’s press conference. She said that all those departing for Macau from the mainland, Hong Kong or Taiwan will no longer be required to display any COVID-19 test result, either an NAT or RAT result, from Sunday.
Currently, all arrivals, i.e., all those arriving in Macau from the mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan or foreign countries, are required to display a 72-hour negative NAT result when embarking on their trip to Macau.
Nevertheless, Ao Ieong announced yesterday that from Sunday, arrivals from foreign countries will still be required to display a 48-hour negative NAT or RAT result when embarking on their trip to Macau.
In addition, according to Ao Ieong, from Sunday those entering the mainland from Macau within seven days after arriving here from Hong Kong, Taiwan or foreign countries will be required to display a 48-hour negative NAT result.
Guangdong Health Code still required for those entering Zhuhai
Meanwhile, Public Security Police (PSP) senior official Wong Kim Hong pointed out during yesterday’s press conference that while those entering the mainland from Macau will no longer be required to display any COVID-19 NAT results from Sunday, those entering Zhuhai from Macau will still be required to present a Guangdong Health Code from Sunday. According to Wong, the travellers can choose to convert their Macau Health Code to a Guangdong Health Code, or directly generate their Guangdong Health Code using its app. In this situation, the travellers’ Guangdong Health Code will no longer contain any NAT result but display the information on their state of health from Sunday.
Meanwhile, Ao Ieong said yesterday that on Sunday, the local government will end Macau’s ongoing “transition” period tackling COVID-19, which began on December 8 when it commenced its gradual easing of COVID-19 curbs implicitly allows constant transmissions of the novel coronavirus in the community. She underlined that the local government began its contingency plan in October last year in preparation of the possible easing of COVID-19 curbs, aiming to help the population go through a “transition” period.
‘Most difficult’ period over: Ao Ieong
Ao Ieong said that Macau has now already gone through its “most difficult” period hit by widespread COVID-19 infections after the local government adjusted its anti-COVID-19 approach on December 8.
The policy secretary acknowledged that while Macau had its first peak of COVID-19 infections around the Christmas holiday period, the pace at which the peak declined subsequently was faster than what the government had expected. Consequently, she said, the functioning of Macau’s civil society began to gradually recover to normality around New Year’s Day.
Ao Ieong also said that the COVID-19 situations in various regions in the mainland have begun to stabilise. Combined with the upcoming cancelling of NAT requirements for those travelling between Macau and the mainland, she said, Macau will have favourable conditions for the recovery of its tourism sector during the upcoming Chinese New Year (CNY) holiday period. This year’s Chinese New Year falls on January 22.
Up to 70 percent of population infected
According to Ao Ieong, around 250,000 people had reported their positive COVID-19 self-test results on the Health Bureau’s online platform as of Wednesday, accounting for around 37 percent of the population. She acknowledged that the figures did not include those who had been infected but chose not to report their condition on the platform.
Ao Ieong said that the local government has estimated that 60 to 70 percent of the population have been infected with COVID-19, based on its various COVID-19 related figures, according to which, she said, around 70 percent of healthcare workers at the city’s major medical institutions have been infected, while 50 to 60 percent of schoolchildren and 70 percent of school teachers have been infected.
Ao Ieong underlined that while Macau’s anti-COVID-19 transition period will end on Sunday, it does not mean that the local government will terminate its fight against COVID-19. In the near future, she said, the local government will continue to closely monitor the latest COVID-19 developments in Macau and elsewhere, urging residents to properly wear a facemask when out, and promoting COVID-19 vaccinations.
2 more COVID-19 fatalities, raising death toll to 63
Meanwhile, a Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre statement yesterday announced that two more people died of the novel coronavirus disease on Wednesday, raising Macau’s official death toll to 63.
According to the statement, both of the male victims, aged 74 and 85, had suffered from underlying diseases.
One of the two fatalities had not been vaccinated against the novel coronavirus, the statement said.
Yesterday’s statement also announced that 102 new patients diagnosed with the novel coronavirus disease were admitted to the Health Bureau’s isolation and treatment facilities on Wednesday.
According to the Health Bureau’s COVID-19 website, which was updated yesterday, Macau’s official cumulative number of confirmed COVID-19 cases stood at 3,009, of which 2,682 had meanwhile been cured.
Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Elsie Ao Ieong U (right) and Health Bureau (SSM) Director Alvis Lo Iek Long address yesterday’s special press conference about the local government’s new entry measures for arrivals.
– Photo: Maria Cheang Ut Meng
