Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Elsie Ao Ieong U says that the Macau government is studying the feasibility of the possible implementation of community-based COVID-19 prevention and control measures in Macau – in case it confirms new local COVID-19 cases – in references to the mainland.
The policy secretary underlined that the Macau civil society’s situation is different from the mainland, adding that it would possibly be the case that the Macau government finally determines that it would not be feasible for the mainland-style community-based COVID-19 control measures to be implemented in Macau.
Ao Ieong made the remarks while speaking to reporters after Friday’s press conference on this year’s Macau Grand Prix (MGP).
Ao Ieong said that she first presented to central government officials the local government’s idea of the possible implementation of community-based COVID-19 control measures in Macau during a four-day working visit to Beijing early last week.
According to a statement by the Macau government on Thursday, Ao Ieong and a number of senior officials under her portfolio met senior officials from a number of entities of the central government during the visit from Sunday to Wednesday last week. The members of the delegation also visited a number of medical institutions in the nation’s capital.
According to mainland media reports, if residents from a particular community have been newly confirmed as COVID-19 patients, strict COVID-19 measures will be imposed on the community and all its residents. A serious epidemic situation will result in the implementation of closed-off management of the community.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Ao Ieong underlined that the Macau government’s proposal of the possible implementation of the mainland-style community-based COVID-19 control measures in the city is now merely a preliminary idea, adding that the local government will announce the proposal after it has come up with a detailed plan on how to implement it.
Ao Ieong pointed out that Macau is a small city, so that if the local government decides that the mainland-style community-based COVID-19 control measures will be adopted in Macau, it will have to divide areas affected by COVID-19 in a “very accurate” way.
In case Macau confirms new local COVID-19 cases, the smaller the size of the affected area, the fewer residents would be affected by the government’s strict COVID-19 community-based measures, Ao Ieong said.
Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Elsie Ao Ieong U speaks to reporters at the Macau Fisherman’s Wharf Convention and Exhibition Centre on the sidelines of Friday’s press conference about the 67th Macau Grand Prix (MGP). Photo: GCS
