A group comprising seven local Portuguese community associations has collected 3.5 million patacas (US$444,700) to help Portugal fight the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Radio Macau/TDM reported today.
According to the report, the donation campaign was launched by the ad hoc Macau Solidarity Commission on March 26 when it opened an account at local Portuguese bank BNU. The campaign ended today.
The Portuguese-language radio channel of public broadcaster TDM pointed out that three donation cheques were handed to the Consulate-General of the Portuguese Republic today, 500,000 patacas from the Macau Holy House of Mercy (SCMM) and 100,000 patacas each from the Macau Overseas Chinese Association and Levo Chan, chairman of local junket operator Tak Chun Group.
Portuguese Consul-General Paulo Cunha Alves praised the campaign's "quite positive" outcome, telling Radio Macau that it was proof of the high degree of solidarity among Macau's various Portuguese community associations.
According to the report, Macau's former casino monopoly company STDM today donated 1 million patacas to the campaign. STDM is the main shareholder of gaming operator SJM.
The report quoted Cunha Alves as saying that Portugal's embassy in Beijing would use the money to buy medical materials to be shipped to Portugal, which as of tonight (Macau time) had 12,442 confirmed COVID-19 cases with 345 deaths.
