Macau's last of 10 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) patients, a 64-year-old local woman, was discharged from hospital today, the Health Bureau (SSM) announced at the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre's daily press conference about the highly infectious and potentially deadly disease.
The woman had been in hospital since February 2. Macau's two last COVID-19 cases were confirmed on February 4.
"We have good news to share with you," SSM Director Lei Chin Ion said when announcing the 10th discharge. Lei stressed that all the 10 patients, seven tourists from Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak, and three locals, survived the illness.
At the press conference, officials also announced that currently 65 people are in quarantine after visiting South Korea and Italy, 44 of them in self-quarantine at home and the remainder in a hotel designated by the government. Arrivals from high-risk novel coronavirus countries and regions are required to undergo a 14-day quarantine.
Meanwhile, a police spokesman said at the press conference that 66,000 people crossed Macau's border checkpoints yesterday, mostly locals, apart from 16,400 tourists and 164 migrant workers from the mainland.
Meanwhile, officials also announced at the press conference that 59 Macau residents will be evacuated by the Macau government from COVID-19-stricken Hubei province tomorrow. The government has chartered an Air Macau jet for the airlift. The plane is slated to take off from Macau at 9:30 a.m. and to be back in Macau at 5:30 p.m. tomorrow. The 59 returnees include six children under the age of five, two septuagenarians and 32 families. They will be taken from the local airport in Taipa to a quarantine facility in Coloane where they will remain under quarantine for 14 days.
SSM officials have described the airlift as "very high risk". The passengers will wear full-body protective suits and won't be allowed to eat, drink and use the toilet during the about 1 1/2-hour flight. They can opt to wear diapers during the airlift.
Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province, lies some 940 kilometres north of Macau.
