Addressing yesterday’s daily press conference about Macau’s novel coronavirus (COVID-19) situation, the Health Bureau’s (SSM) Control of Communicable Diseases and Surveillance of Diseases Department Coordinator Leong Iek Hou said that the local government has decided to also classify South Korea as a COVID-19-high-prevalence region – and therefore, starting today, visitors arriving from South Korea must also undergo a medical examination, after considering that the number of confirmed cases in the East Asian country has sharply increased within a few days and community outbreaks have occurred there.
Leong made the remarks yesterday evening at the bureau next to the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre.
The new medical examination measure for visitors from COVID-19-high-prevalence regions and for local parallel traders (colloquially known in Cantonese as “seoi haak”, or “water guests”) took effect at 00:00 on Thursday.
According to local Chinese-language media reports, some parallel traders are known to have crossed the Zhuhai-Macau border up to 18 times a day.
Under the measure, visitors arriving from COVID-19-high-prevalence regions have to undergo a medical examination – which lasts six to eight hours. The local government has set up two stations where medical staff members carry out the medical examinations – one at the Workers Stadium next to the Barrier Gate checkpoint for visitors arriving at the border checkpoints on the peninsula and the other at the Taipa Ferry Terminal for visitors arriving at the border checkpoints in Taipa and Cotai.
The local government said on Thursday that it had classified the provinces of Guangdong, Henan and Zhejiang, as well as the municipalities of Beijing, Chongqing and Shanghai, as high-prevalence COVID-19 areas. Visitors arriving from these areas must undergo a medical examination upon arrival in Macau. Residents of Hubei are currently forbidden to leave the province.
The medical examination is also applicable to other visitors who have been in any high-prevalence regions 14 days before their intended entry into Macau.
The new measure also covers Macau residents who cross Macau-Zhuhai border checkpoints “an abnormal number of times” per day – i.e. suspected parallel traders who travel between the two cities more than three times a day.
The local police have said that immigration officers do not strictly adhere to the more-then-three-times criterion for Macau residents who cross Macau-Zhuhai border checkpoints “an abnormal number of times” per day, and decide case by case whether to order a local resident crossing the checkpoint to undergo the medical examination.
The government has said that the visitors from COVID-19-high-prevalence regions cover all those who have arrived in Macau from Zhuhai because Guangdong province is a high-prevalence region. Concerning those who have arrived in Macau by air, the local authorities will ask them whether they have been in any high-prevalence regions 14 days prior, and failing to tell the truth they face punishment, the government has said.
During yesterday’s press conference, Leong said that the local government has classified South Korea as a COVID-19-high-prevalence region, adding that starting from 00:00 today South Koreans – and other visitors who have been in the country 14 days prior – must undergo the medical examination. These visitors upon arrival will be transported by the police to either the Workers Stadium on the peninsula or the Taipa Ferry Terminal for the medical examinations, Leong said.
The Health Bureau’s (SSM) Control of Communicable Diseases and Surveillance of Diseases Department Coordinator Leong Iek Hou (right) speaks during yesterday’s press conference at the bureau about the city’s novel coronavirus (COVID-19) situation, as Inês Chan Lou (centre), who heads the Macau Government Tourism Office’s (MGTO) Licensing and Inspection Department, and Vong Chi Fu, who heads the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau’s (DICJ) Gaming Inspection Department, look on. Photo: Tony Wong
South Korea is so far the only foreign country on the government’s COVID-19 high-prevalence list.
When asked by the media whether the local government will add other countries and regions, such as Japan and Hong Kong, to the local government’s COVID-19-high-prevalence list, Leong said that the local government had decided to classify South Korea as a COVID-19-high-prevalence region after also considering the epidemic prevention and control measures that have been implemented there. Leong said that the local government was constantly monitoring the epidemic in various countries and regions across the world – including Japan and Hong Kong – and evaluating the measures that have been implemented in these regions, adding that the local government will not rule out the possibility of adding other countries or regions to its COVID-19-high-prevalence list.
Leong noted that Hong Kong has confirmed new cases every day and community transmissions are happening there, but the situation has still not reached to the occurrence of community outbreaks. Leong noted that the Hong Kong government has also implemented various “very” tough measures against the epidemic, adding that therefore the local government will not classify Hong Kong as a COVID-19-high-prevalence for the time being.
Leong was quick to add that the local government is constantly assessing the epidemic in Hong Kong and will not rule out the possibility of adding Hong Kong to the local government’s COVID-19-high-prevalence list if the epidemic there becomes more serious.
During yesterday’s press conference, Lei Tak Fai, who heads the Public Relations Department of the Public Security Police (PSP), said that 1,464 visitors from COVID-19-high-prevalence regions were taken to the Workers Stadium station for medical examinations on Saturday, while 535 were taken to the Taipa Ferry Terminal station. According to Lei, 298 visitors chose to return to the mainland as they were unwilling to submit themselves to the medical examination.
According to Lei, only one Macau resident had to undergo a medical examination due to his or her repeated border crossings between Macau and Zhuhai on Saturday.
Lei also said that 43 South Korean visitors entered Macau on Saturday. He also noted that all flights between Macau and South Korean have been cancelled for a few days at least until March 1.
Casino workers’ complaints
Meanwhile, Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) official Vong Chi Fu told the press conference that some casino workers had complained about the lack of facemasks. Vong, who declined to reveal the name of the casino company targeted by the complaint, said that the bureau had meanwhile looked into the complaint and urged the casino management to ensure that its staff members are provided with facemasks during all shifts.
The government said last week that all casino workers and gamblers are required to wear facemasks. A total of 29 of Macau’s 41 casinos reopened on Thursday after a 15-day government-imposed shutdown in response to the COVID-19 epidemic.
Vong also said that the bureau received complaints about an excessive number of gamblers placing bets on the same gaming tables, as well as about gaming chips that were not disinfected.
According to Vong, the casino company concerned blamed a lack of disinfectants for the situation, which Vong said had been resolved in the meantime. Vong noted that gamblers tended to crowd around tables perceived as paying out more winnings than others.
The government said last week that no more than “three or four” gamblers should be seated at the same time around a table. It also said that gamblers needed to remain seated when placing their bets.
