Addressing Friday’s press conference about Macau’s novel coronavirus (COVID-19) situation, Alvis Lo Iek Long, a clinical director of the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre, said that 76 million facemasks have been sold under the government’s facemask purchase scheme since its launch in late January.
Lo also announced that the 14th round of the facemask purchase scheme will start today.
The facemasks sold under the scheme are colloquially known as “government facemasks”.
Under the facemask purchase scheme, which was launched by the government on January 23 (the scheme’s first round), each local resident and non-resident worker is entitled to buy 10 facemasks at the fixed price of eight patacas every 10 days at designated outlets upon presentation of their original Macau ID card or work permit (informally known as “blue card”). In each round, which lasts 10 days, parents or legal guardians are entitled to buy 10 facemasks for each child aged between five and eight, and five facemasks for each kid aged between three and four.
This photo taken last week shows a facemask warning sign displayed at the entrance of a mixed-use building in the city centre last week. Photo: Harald Brüning
Facemasks for kids
The sale of child facemasks – for those aged between three and eight – was first available on February 12 when the scheme’s third round started. Since then, in each round parents or legal guardians had been entitled to buy five child facemasks with the child’s ID card, with the remaining five for adult facemasks, or alternatively they could choose to use the whole quota of 10 for adult facemasks until May 22 when the scheme’s 13th round started and the government changed the arrangement for the sale of children’s facemasks because of today’s resumption of Primary 1 to Primary 3 classes.
Other segments of pupils have gradually returned to their classrooms in the past few weeks. Pupils and teachers are obligated to wear facemasks on school premises.
Since the scheme’s 13th round, parents or legal guardians have been entitled to buy 10 facemasks for each child aged between five and eight, or alternatively they can choose to buy five child facemasks and five adult facemasks, or choose to use the whole quota of 10 for adult facemasks. Parents or legal guardians continue to be entitled to buy five facemasks for each child aged between three and four plus five adult facemasks, or alternatively they can choose to use the whole quota of 10 for adult facemasks.
In the scheme’s 14th round which starts today, the arrangement for the sale of children’s facemasks remains the same as in the 13th round.
84 outlets
Unchanged from previously, there are 84 outlets for the 14th round which starts this morning, comprising 56 designated pharmacies, eight health centres in Macau and Taipa and two health stations in Coloane run by the Health Bureau (SSM), as well as 18 co-called service points run by the Macau Federation of Trade Unions (Gung Luen), Macau General Union of Neighbourhood Associations (Kai Fong) and Macau Women’s General Association (Fu Luen).
Child facemasks are only sold at the bureau’s health centres and health stations. The price of child facemasks is the same as for adult facemasks.
Observers have noted that close to 100 percent of people in Macau wear facemasks when out and about. Apart from the “government facemasks”, facemasks are also available at commercial prices in the private market.
No new COVID-19 case for 53 days
As of yesterday, Macau had not confirmed a new COVID-19 case for 53 consecutive days. All of Macau’s 45 COVID-19 patients have been discharged from hospital.
New guidelines in the pipeline
Meanwhile, the Health Bureau’s (SSM) Control of Communicable Diseases and Surveillance of Diseases Department Coordinator Leong Iek Hou said during Friday’s press conference that the government was still drafting its revised guidelines when residents should wear a facemask.
Leong pointed out that the authorities in different regions even with similar COVID-19 epidemic situations have formulated different guidelines on wearing facemasks for their residents because of their different population density, living environment and living habits. Leong said that the local government is studying the guidelines on wearing facemasks in various regions around the world and drafting its new guidelines on wearing facemasks “that are suitable for Macau’s own situation”. “The idea [of drafting the guidelines] is to tell residents in what circumstances they have to wear a facemask, and in what circumstances they don’t need to wear a facemask,” Leong said.
According to the current guidelines, public transport passengers and drivers must wear facemasks, and anyone entering public administration premises and casinos must also wear them. The government also recommends that everyone should wear a facemask when out and about – both indoors and outdoors.
Meanwhile, Lo also said during Friday’s press conference that those with a fever or respiratory symptoms – despite not having left Macau or not having been in close contact with confirmed COVID-19 patients – should wrap their used facemasks in a tissue before discarding them into a rubbish bin with a lid. Lo said that for others who wear a facemask merely to prevent from being infected with infectious diseases, it will be safe enough to directly discard their used facemasks into a rubbish bin with a lid.
