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 Macau’s COVID-19 testing capability has been further raised from 16,000 to 23,000 people per day, equivalent to some 3.4 percent of the city’s population.
According to the Statistics and Census Bureau (DSEC), Macau’s population stood at 696,100 at the end of March.
Macau’s COVID-19 testing capability was raised from 6,000 to 16,000 people per day in late June.
The Macau government launched its nucleic acid testing (NAT) scheme on May 7 when its first and main testing station at the Taipa Ferry Terminal in Pac On started operating. The Health Bureau (SSM) has commissioned a third-party testing institution – Kuok Kim (Macau) Hygiene Examination Company Limited – to carry out COVID-19 testing there. A new testing station for the government’s NAT scheme, which is located at the Macau Forum complex in Zape, came into operation last month. The new Macau Forum testing station is temporarily being operated by the Health Bureau before it commissions a third-party testing institution to carry out COVID-19 testing there. The government has not said whether the same testing institution – Kuok Kim – or a new one will carry out the COVID-19 testing at the Macau Forum testing station.
Residents who plan to visit Guangdong have to make an appointment online to be tested for COVID-19 under the Macau government’s NAT scheme so that they can present a NAT certificate confirming that they have tested negative for COVID-19 when crossing the Macau-Zhuhai border. In addition to the COVID-19 testing at the Macau Forum testing station, the Health Bureau has been carrying out nucleic acid tests for certain groups of people such as confirmed and suspected COVID-19 patients, those who have been in close contact with confirmed COVID-19 patients, those with a fever or any respiratory symptoms, newly hospitalised patients, and those undergoing quarantine, as well as for those working in certain sectors and occupations such as teachers, social service facility staff members, fisherfolks, casino frontline workers, cross-border drivers, cargo ship and aeroplane crew members.
Lo said on Friday that the Macau government can constantly increase its COVID-19 testing capability thanks to the purchasing of additional testing equipment and test reagents and constant training of more medical staff members capable of collecting samples from those undergoing their nucleic acid tests.
‘No need for population-wide testing’
Lo also underlined that for the time being there is no urgent need for the local government to carry out population-wide testing for COVID-19. Lo pointed out that local residents and non-resident workers can have the first COVID-19 test free of charge according to the government’s NAT scheme. He said that this arrangement was similar to a population-wide COVID-19 testing on a voluntary basis.
Lo said that some 300,000 local residents and non-resident workers have undergone their first-time-free tests under the government’s NAT programme.
According to the NAT scheme, the first test is free of charge for all Macau residents and non-resident workers, but follow-up tests cost 180 patacas each – which will be lowered to 120 patacas from Wednesday this week. However, all other kinds of travellers have to pay for each test – no fee exemption even for the first test.
Fish vendors’ tested for COVID-19
Meanwhile, Lo also announced that all the fish vendors in the city’s wet markets have undergone a one-off nucleic acid test, involving 818 people in total, and none of them tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
Lo also said that those engaging in the delivery and wholesale of frozen foods, involving about 700 people, have undergone a one-off nucleic acid test, and all of them have tested negative for COVID-19.
Lo also pointed out that in line with the latest development of Macau’s COVID-19 situation, the local government has so far arranged for those working in seven sectors to undergo a one-off COVID-19 test, namely 1) school teaching staff before the resumption of in-class teaching, 2) social service facility staff members, 3) fisherfolks, 4) those in the frozen food sector, 5) fish vendors, 6) immigration officers, and 7) some of the city’s casino frontline workers.
Lo said that for the next step the local government plans to arrange for public transport drivers and restaurants employees to undergo a one-off COVID-19 test.
Lo also pointed out that cross-border drivers, cargo vessel and aeroplane crew members have been tested for COVID-19 regularly.
Macau has not recorded a new COVID-19 case for 44 days, while no local case has been confirmed for 133 days. All of Macau’s 46 COVID-19 patients have been discharged from hospital.
Transfer flights to London & France
Meanwhile, Lau Fong Chi, who heads the Public Relations Division of the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO), said during Friday’s press conference that from late this month EVA Air will operate five flights from Macau to Taipei from where the local passengers can take transfer flights to London and France, as part of the Macau government’s special measure to help Macau residents who are enrolled overseas to fly to the respective countries after their summer break here. According to Lau, three EVA Air flights will depart for London via Taipei on August 26, September 9 and 23 respectively, while two flights will depart for France via Taipei on August 28 and September 4. Lau said that the students can then choose to fly to Portugal or other European countries upon their arrival in London or France. EVA Air only flies to Paris in France.
Lau also said that Air Macau will also operate a number of flights from Macau to Seoul from where local students can take transfer flights to London. Lau did not mention the timing of the Air Macau flights.
A spokesperson for the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) told the media on Friday that the EVA Air and Air Macau flights are regular flights the schedules of which, however, have been adjusted to make the necessary transfers in Taipei and Seoul more convenient for the students from Macau. The spokesperson also said that the flights are commercial operations that are not paid for by the Macau government.
Residents queue in the Macau Forum nucleic acid testing (NAT) station in Zape for a COVID-19 test last month. Photo: GCS
