Addressing Friday’s press conference about Macau’s novel coronavirus situation, Alvis Lo Iek Long, a clinical director of the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre, said that all the casino frontline workers of gaming operators SJM and Sands, totalling over 25,000, have undergone a nucleic acid test (NAT), and all of them have tested negative for COVID-19.
The Health Bureau (SSM) announced on July 14 that it will arrange for all casino frontline workers – such as dealers, cage workers and security guards – to undergo one-off nucleic acid tests in phases. The tests started on July 16.
Lo underlined that the Health Bureau will continue carrying out the COVID-19 tests for the other gaming operators’ casino frontline workers step by step. Lo was quick to add that the Health Bureau did not have a timetable as to when the nucleic acid tests for all casino workers in Macau will be completed.
Lo pointed out that in addition to casino workers, the Health Bureau has to carry out nucleic acid tests for certain groups of residents every day, such as Macau-Zhuhai cross-border travellers and those for medical reasons (namely those with a fever or any respiratory symptoms), based on its “limited” COVID-19 testing capacity, adding that if the government carried out “intensive” COVID-19 tests for the city’s casino workers, this would “crowd out” testing resources available for other residents who need to undergo a nucleic acid test.
Lo said that the while the Health Bureau has classified casino workers as among those who must undergo a COVID-19 test because they are often in touch with visitors every day, it would be feasible to carry out the nucleic acid tests for the city’s casino workers step by step considering that Macau still does not have many visitors.
The city’s six gaming operators are SJM, Wynn, Galaxy, Venetian, MGM and Melco. 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).
Lo also said that the government could further raise Macau’s current COVID-19 testing capability of 16,000 people per day in the near future in line with the latest development of the city’s COVID-19 situation, adding that the Health Bureau is still discussing with a third-party testing institution the commissioning of COVID-19 testing at the new testing station for the government’s NAT scheme in the Macau Forum complex in Zape – which is temporarily being operated by the bureau. Lo said that Macau’s COVID-19 testing capability will further increase after the new third-party testing institution starts the COVID-19 testing at the Macau Forum testing station.
The Health Bureau has commissioned a third-party testing institution – Kuok Kim (Macau) Hygiene Examination Company Limited – to carry out COVID-19 testing at its NAT programme’s main testing station in the Taipa Ferry Terminal in Pac On. The NAT scheme was launched on May 7.
The local government raised the quota for its NAT scheme’s online appointment system to 11,000 people per day on Wednesday. The Health Bureau has said that while Macau currently can test up to 16,000 people per day for COVID-19, it needed to keep some places readily available for emergency situations in response to a possible sudden deterioration of Macau’s COVID-19 situation.
Lo also pointed out that over 300,000 nucleic acid tests have been carried out in Macau up to Wednesday last week.
Macau has neither confirmed a new COVID-19 case for 30 consecutive days nor a new local COVID-19 case for 119 consecutive days. All of Macau’s 46 COVID-19 patients have been discharged.
Meanwhile, Macau vehicles with a Guangdong-Macau dual licence plate have been permitted to cross the Macau-Zhuhai border starting from Friday. However, the car owners have to make an appointment online first, with a daily quota of 700 Guangdong-bound vehicles. Macau vehicles with a Guangdong-Macau dual licence plate had been barred from entering Guangdong since early April.
Alvis Lo Iek Long, one of the three clinical directors of the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre, addresses Friday’s press conference at the Health Bureau (SSM) about the city’s novel coronavirus (COVID-19) situation. Photo: GCS
