Addressing yesterday’s press conference about Macau’s novel coronavirus (COVID-19) situation, the Health Bureau’s (SSM) Control of Communicable Diseases and Surveillance of Diseases Department Coordinator Leong Iek Hou said that the government will arrange for the “first batch” of casino frontline workers to be tested for COVID-19 as early as today.
Starting from yesterday, all gamblers and other guests entering casino premises must undergo a temperature check and show their green Macau Health Code and a nucleic acid test (NAT) certificate confirming that they have tested negative for COVID-19. Yesterday’s implementation of the tightened COVID-19 prevention and control measures for local casinos coincided with the lifting of Guangdong’s 14-day quarantine requirement for all arrivals from Macau.
The Macau government announced on Tuesday that it will arrange for casino frontline workers – including dealers, cage workers and security guards – to undergo one-off nucleic acid tests in phases. The Health Bureau will liaise with the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) to assess whether any other groups of casino frontline workers should be covered by the one-off nucleic acid testing. The Health Bureau is also discussing with the city’s six gaming operators the COVID-19 testing arrangements with the aim of completing the tests for all the casino frontline workers in a short time, according to Tuesday’s announcement.
Leong reaffirmed yesterday that the new COVID-19 testing measure for casino frontline workers doesn’t mean that they are only allowed to work after undergoing their tests. Leong also said that that the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau has deployed more staff to inspect how the new COVID-19 prevention and control measures are being implemented in the city’s casinos and has ordered gaming operators to deploy more staff to ensure the sound implementation of the new measures.
According to the Statistics and Census Bureau (DSEC), the gaming industry had 58,225 full-time employees at the end of last year, including 25, 459 dealers (croupiers).
The lifting of Guangdong’s quarantine requirement, which started at 6 a.m. yesterday, is applicable to all arrivals from Macau, except confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients, those who have been in close contact with confirmed COVID-19 patients, those with a fever or any respiratory symptoms, and those who have been to a foreign country, Hong Kong or Taiwan within the 14 days prior to their intended entry into Guangdong.
Only those who can present their green Guangdong Health Code – which is converted from the Macau Health Code – and a valid NAT certificate confirming that they have tested negative for COVID-19 within the past seven days are allowed to enter Guangdong from Macau. Those who have entered Guangdong from Macau can only travel within the nine Greater Bay Area (GBA) cities in the province, namely Dongguan, Foshan, Guangzhou, Huizhou, Jiangmen, Shenzhen, Zhaoqing, Zhongshan and Zhuhai, while Macau residents who work or live in Guangdong and mainlanders who have returned to the province from Macau can travel within the whole province.
Home Return Permits required
The Guangdong government’s quarantine lifting for arrivals from Macau is only applicable to Macau residents and mainland visitors, while non-resident workers from the mainland are still subject to the current quarantine rules. For Macau residents, only those who hold a mainland-issued Home Return Permit are covered by the quarantine lifting, which means that foreign nationals holding a Macau ID card are not covered by the quarantine lifting. A Home Return Permit, officially known as Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macau Residents, is only issued to Chinese nationals who are permanent residents of the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau. A Home Return Permit allows its holder to travel from Hong Kong or Macau to the mainland.
Meanwhile, Lei Tak Fai, who heads the Public Relations Division of the Public Security Police (PSP), said during yesterday’s press conference that the police recorded 1,600 visitor arrivals entering Macau via the city’s four land border checkpoints with Zhuhai yesterday, the first day of the Guangdong government lifting the quarantine, from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. – via the Barrier Gate checkpoint, the Lotus Flower Bridge checkpoint, the Macau-Zhuhai checkpoint on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HZMB), and the Zhuhai Macau Cross-border Industrial Zone checkpoint in Ilha Verde – a 50 percent increase compared to the same period of the previous day.
Lei also underlined that the police are well prepared to tackle the possible rising number of visitors to Macau – due to the Guangdong government’s lifting of the quarantine. Lei also urged travellers to convert their Macau Health Code into a Guangdong Health Code in advance before crossing the Macau-Zhuhai border so as to prevent large crowds from occurring there.
Facemasks for retail, restaurant staff
Meanwhile, Leong also said during yesterday’s press conference that in response to the possible rising number of visitors to Macau following Guangdong lifting the quarantine, her bureau has come up with new guidelines on COVID-19 prevention and control measures for the city’s retail outlets and restaurants, according to which all staff members must wear a facemask while working. Leong pointed out that the two sectors’ employees face a high risk of COVID-19 infection as they are in touch with customers and other people for a long time every day.
No local COVID-19 case has been confirmed in Macau for 108 consecutive days.
Meanwhile, Lau Fong Chi from the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) pointed out that today is the last day of the special ferry link between Macau and Hong Kong’s airport. Lau also said that her office will relaunch its mainland promotion campaigns for local tourism.
Lau Fong Chi (right), who heads the Macau Government Tourism Office’s (MGTO) Public Relations Division, speaks during yesterday’s press conference about the city’s novel coronavirus (COVID-19) situation, as Lei Tak Fai (second from right), who heads the Public Security Police’s (PSP) Public Relations Division, Alvis Lo Iek Long (second from left), a clinical director of the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre, and Health Bureau (SSM) Control of Communicable Diseases and Surveillance of Diseases Department Coordinator Leong Iek Hou look on. Photo: Tony Wong
