Macau's Health Bureau (SSM) "vehemently condemned" today a hacker attack which temporarily interrupted its online health declaration and facemask supply systems.
According to an SSM statement, the attack was detected yesterday afternoon and has meanwhile been fixed with the assistance of the Internet provider.
"During the attack both residents and visitors were unable to fill out and submit their health declarations online, while the supply of facemasks was interrupted as the online verification was could not be carried out," the statement said.
The statement described the attack as a "serious disturbance" of the authorities' ongoing fight against the novel coronavirus. The Health Bureau has notified the Judiciary Police (PJ) about the attack, according to the statement, which stressed that the authorities were determined to take legal action against the culprits.
The government said last week that it would buy 20 million facemasks to be sold at designated pharmacies to residents and non-resident workers at a fixed price. Residents and non-resident workers are entitled to buy 10 facemasks every 10 days from the designated pharmacies. However, members of the public can also buy facemasks from other pharmacies and shops at market prices.
Macau had a population of 676,100 at the end of the third quarter last year, according to official statistics.
