The Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre announced in a statement yesterday that the government’s 10th round of its rapid antigen test (RAT) kit purchase scheme will start on Friday.
As in previous rounds, the 10th round of the programme will run for 14 days, between Friday and April 13, during which each local resident, non-resident worker and non-local student enrolled in Macau’s higher education institutions will be entitled to buy a total of 10 RAT kits at the fixed price of 40 patacas at designated outlets, i.e., four patacas per kit.
According to the statement, COVID-19 RAT kits provided by the programme’s 10th round will be sold at 55 designated pharmacies, five venues run by the Macau Women’s General Association (known as Fu Luen in Cantonese), and five venues run by the Macau Federation of Trade Unions (Gung Luen).
The statement reminded the public that buyers can return defective RAT kits that have been purchased through the programme to public health centres, and change them for new ones.
The Macau government rolled out the programme in early December, enabling local residents, non-resident workers, and non-local students enrolled in Macau’s higher education institutions to buy RAT kits used for COVID-19 self-tests from designated outlets at a discounted price.
Facemask & RAT kit purchase schemes to continue for foreseeable future
Speaking to reporters on Saturday last week, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Elsie Ao Ieong U says that the local government will continue with its facemask purchase scheme and RAT kit purchase scheme for the foreseeable future.
Health Bureau (SSM) Director Alvis Lo Iek Long told reporters earlier this month that the government had decided to continue with the two purchase schemes for the near future because a number of residents were still purchasing facemasks or COVID-19 RAT kits through the two programmes.
Ao Ieong said on Saturday that the government would consider cancelling the two purchase schemes eventually if almost nobody buys facemasks and RAT kits anymore.
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 from designated outlets at a discounted price. The facemask purchase programme, each round of which runs for 30 days, 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 are 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 Gung Luen venues.
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.
No COVID-19 deaths for 53 days
Meanwhile, Macau has not recorded any COVID-19 fatalities for 53 days in a row, from February 3 to March 27, according to a separate statement by the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre yesterday, which announced that no fatalities were recorded on Monday.
Consequently, Macau’s official COVID-19 death toll has remained unchanged at 121.
Moreover, no new COVID-19 patients have been recorded for five consecutive days, from Thursday to Monday, after one new patient diagnosed with the novel coronavirus disease was admitted to the Health Bureau’s isolation and treatment facility last Wednesday.
According to the Health Bureau’s COVID-19 website, as of Monday Macau’s official cumulative number of confirmed COVID-19 cases stood at 3,515, of which 3,393 had meanwhile been cured.
This undated handout photo taken from the Hong Kong government’s COVID-19 special website yesterday shows a COVID-19 rapid antigen test (RAT) kit.
