One more of Macau's 45 COVID-19 patients was discharged from hospital today, bringing the number still in hospital down to just six, the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre announced.
The male patient discharged today, a non-resident worker from the Philippines, had been hospitalised for 39 days, according Alvis Lou Iek Long, a senior doctor with the public Conde de S. Januario Hospital Centre. The patient was transferred from the public hospital to the Health Bureau's Public Health Clinical Centre in Coloane for 14-day quarantine and medical observation.
Macau confirmed its first COVID-19 case on January 22. No novel coronavirus disease deaths have been reported.
Back to school
Meanwhile, some 13,000 senior secondary school pupils will return to classrooms tomorrow, the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau (DSEJ) announced today. All pupils, teachers and other school personnel must wear facemasks. Junior secondary school pupils are slated to return to school next Monday. DSEJ officials have still to announce when the city's primary and special needs school students will return to school. Macau's schools have been closed since the Chinese New Year holiday in late January. Kindergartens are also still closed.
Price hike complaints
Meanwhile, Consumer Council President Wong Hon Neng said said today that his organisation had received nearly 400 complaints by rising supermarket prices, Friday. According to the complaints, the supermarkets started to raise their prices on May Day, coinciding with the spending start of the government 3,000-pataca consumption subsidy smartcards for local residents. Wong said that talks were underway with supermarket operators to look into the complaints. Wong made the remarks at today's press conference of the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre.
However, Kong Son Cheong, an official of the Economic Services Bureau (DSE), insisted at the press conference that the price increases had nothing to do with the spending start of the smartcards but were due to "mistakes" by supermarket workers.
Readers told The Macau Post Daily today that some supermarkets raised their prices by up about one-third such as for fruits. The price hikes have caused a storm of complaints on social media.
There are no statutory retail price controls in Macau, apart from fuels and products and services sold by utilities and concessionaires, as well as public transport and taxi fares.
