The Macau government has lifted its 14-day quarantine requirement for all non-resident workers from the mainland.
The Macau Government Information Bureau (GCS) announced the lifting of the quarantine, which was imposed on non-resident workers from the mainland in February, in a statement on Saturday. The measure took effect yesterday.
An executive order signed by Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng on the quarantine lifting was published in the Official Gazette (BO) on Saturday.
Under the now-defunct quarantine measure, which was in force between February 20 and Saturday, non-resident workers who had been in the mainland within 14 days prior to their intended entry into Macau had to go into quarantine and medical observation for 14 days in Zhuhai and then obtain a health certificate issued by the Zhuhai health authorities confirming that they had not been infected with the novel coronavirus, before they were allowed to enter Macau.
The 14-day quarantine requirement imposed on mainland non-resident workers by the Macau government was carried out in collaboration with its Zhuhai counterpart. Under the measure, those who intended to enter Macau but could not obtain the required health certificate issued by Zhuhai – for instance those who arrived in Macau by air – had to undergo the 14-day quarantine in Macau.
The quarantine requirement imposed on mainland non-resident workers was first jointly relaxed by the Zhuhai and Macau governments on May 11. Since then non-resident workers holding a Zhuhai ID card or residence permit have been exempted from the quarantine measure so that they can commute between the two cities. The quarantine waiver granted to mainland non-resident workers employed in Macau was extended on June 22 to all those living in Zhuhai and commuting between the two cities – for which they need to obtain an official confirmation from the Zhuhai authorities that they have their habitual residence there.
Foreign non-resident workers are still barred from entering Macau.
Saturday’s GCS statement said that starting from 6 a.m. yesterday the Macau government lifted the quarantine that was imposed on “non-resident workers who are mainland residents” on February 20.
Saturday’s statement did not elaborate on whether non-resident workers who are Hong Kong or Taiwan residents commuting between Macau and Zhuhai are covered by the lifting of the quarantine yesterday – i.e. non-resident workers from Hong Kong or Taiwan employed in Macau and living in Zhuhai. In accordance with the “one China” policy, Taiwan and Hong Kong people are Chinese compatriots, not foreigners.
Saturday’s statement pointed out that the non-resident workers have to present a valid nucleic acid test (NAT) certificate confirming that they have tested negative for COVID-19 within the past seven days and their green Macau Health Code when entering Macau.
Scores of Macau-Zhuhai cross-border commuters queue outside the Barrier Gate border checkpoint last week. Photo: Pansy Chao
Nearly 2/3 of non-resident workers are mainlanders
According to data from the Macau Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL), at the end of May the number of non-resident workers stood at 189,274, of whom 115,941 were mainlanders, or 61.3 percent of the total.
In order to avoid the 14-day quarantine required by the Macau government, a large number of non-resident workers who live in Zhuhai moved to Macau to live here temporarily shortly before the implementation of the measure on February 20, according to local media reports. Before the February 20 quarantine measure, tens of thousands of mainland non-resident workers employed in Macau lived in Zhuhai.
Among those who benefit from yesterday’s quarantine lifting are mainland non-resident workers employed in Macau and living in places even further away than Zhuhai such as Zhongshan, which lies some 40 kilometres north of Macau.
The Guangdong government imposed 14-day quarantine on arrivals from foreign countries as well as Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan on March 27. The Guangdong government lifted its 14-day quarantine requirement for all arrivals from Macau from Wednesday last week. Guangdong’s quarantine measure for arrivals from elsewhere remains in force.
The lifting of quarantine yesterday for mainland non-resident workers means that the Guangdong government’s quarantine lifting for arrivals from Macau on Wednesday last week is now applicable to Macau residents holding Home Return Permits and all mainlanders – mainland visitors and mainland non-resident workers. The measure does not include foreigners who live in Macau.
Last COVID-19 patient discharged
Meanwhile, Alvis Lo Iek Long, a clinical director of the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre, announced during Friday’s Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre press conference that the last of Macau’s 46 COVID-19 patients, was discharged from hospital earlier that day.
The patient was diagnosed with COVID-19 shortly after arrival in Macau from Manila via Hong Kong International Airport on June 25. He was the only confirmed novel coronavirus patient among the about 1,700 people who arrived via Hong Kong’s airport by special ferry in Macau. The special ferry link set up by the Macau government around the middle of last month was discontinued last week. Normal ferry links between Macau and Hong Kong have been suspended for months.
Macau has not confirmed a new COVID-19 for 23 days. No local case of the novel coronavirus has been confirmed for 112 days.
