Macau residents who plan to return home from a list of six countries via Hong Kong International Airport must present a certificate showing that they don't suffer from COVID-19 before they can board a Macau-bound ferry from the airport, the local government's Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre announced yesterday.
The centre announced the new measure, which took effect yesterday, at its regular press conference about the disease. The six countries comprise India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Indonesia and Brazil.
Unlike Hong Kong's mega-airport, Macau's small airport does not serve any intercontinental passenger flights.
The certificate must be issued by an officially recognised medical institution of the country of departure. Officials said the measure was needed to protect the health of the ferry crew members and passengers. The ferries link Macau's Taipa Ferry Terminal with Hong Kong airport's SkyPier. The ferry link has been set up to enable Macau residents to return home via Hong Kong airport without having to undergo Hong Kong's mandatory 14-day quarantine.
The officials pointed out that the six countries have been particularly had hit by the novel coronavirus pandemic. They were quick to add that the list of countries could be changed at any time.
Macau confirmed yesterday Macau's 46th novel coronavirus case, a 57-year-old Filipino national holding a Macau ID card. The officials said that the patient, who arrived on Thursday on a flight from Manila at Hong Kong airport from where he took a ferry to Macau on the same day, suffers from diabetes. It was Macau's first newly confirmed COVID-19 case in 78 days, the officials said, who pointed out that 44 of the 46 cases have been classified as imported cases, while two have been classified as cases connected to imported ones. The Filipino, an engineer by profession, is currently Macau's only COVID-19 hospital patient. All the other patients have been discharged from hospital. The officials pointed out that no community outbreak of the disease has been reported in Macau.
Macau's first COVID-19 case was confirmed on January 22.
