Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng urged officials yesterday to continue doing a “good job” in the next stage of the government’s COVID-19 prevention and control work while he was summarising Macau’s “phased” achievements in its COVID-19 prevention and control work.
Ho also urged Macau’s COVID-19-prevention officials to remain “highly” vigilant against the COVID-19 threat and to continue adhering to the government’s COVID-19 prevention strategy of guarding against both imported cases and an occurrence of locally transmitted cases.
Ho made the remarks while presiding over a meeting of the government’s Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre, which he heads.
The centre consisting of local health officials and those from various other entities was set up on January 21 by an executive order signed by Ho, who is the centre’s chairman, a day before Macau reported its first COVID-19 case.
Yesterday afternoon’s meeting, which was held behind closed doors at Government Headquarters, was announced in a statement by the Government Information Bureau (GCS) last night.
In the meeting, Ho thanked all the related officials and public servants for their efforts against the COVID-19 menace, encouraging the city’s various public entities to continue doing a “good job” in the next stage of the COVID-19 prevention and control work, according to the statement.
Ho said that since the centre’s establishment in January, the officials and public servants have been fully focused on the government’s work against COVID-19, making “huge” efforts to ensure residents’ health and safety.
Ho underlined the “hard-won” achievements due to which Macau has not confirmed a new local COVID-19 case for over 260 days thanks to residents’ cooperation.
Macau has recorded 46 COVID-19 cases since January 22, 44 of which have been classified as imported, while two cases have been classified as “connected to imported cases”. The 46 patients have all been cured and discharged from hospital, and no fatalities have been reported in Macau, which has been spared a community transmission of the novel coronavirus disease.
‘Safe & healthy’ city
Ho said that while Macau is currently a “safe and healthy” city, it is facing considerable uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The government’s various entities should remain “highly” vigilant against the COVID-19 threat and further their COVID-19 prevention work performance by continuing with the government’s COVID-19 prevention strategy of guarding against both imported cases and an occurrence of locally transmitted cases, the statement quoted Ho as saying in the meeting.
Ho urged the public entities to “rigorously” carry out their COVID-19 prevention and control work which has been “normalised”, according to the statement.
Ho also said that the movement of people between Macau and the mainland has been able to resume thanks to the central government’s guidance and support and cooperation by provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities in the mainland. Ho urged residents to continue supporting and cooperating with the local government’s COVID-19 prevention work.
According to the GCS statement, Ho urged sound coordination among the various public entities in the local government’s purchasing and administering of COVID-19 vaccines, ensuring that residents will understand the government’s COVID-19 vaccination arrangements and be aware that Macau’s COVID-19 vaccinations will be given on a voluntary basis, with the aim of “reducing their concerns and worries” about the government’s COVID-19 vaccination work.
In the meeting, Ho urged the officials to strengthen COVID-19 prevention and quarantine measures at Macau’s border checkpoints with the aim of preventing the novel coronavirus from entering Macau.
Summarising yesterday’s meeting, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Elsie Ao Ieong U, who is the centre’s vice chairperson, said that the local government will need to further improve its COVID-19 response mechanism while consolidating its current COVID-19 prevention achievements. She pledged that the local government will constantly increase its COVID-19 prevention, treatment and testing capability.
Officials from 17 entities involved in the centre attended yesterday’s meeting, according to the statement.
Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng chairs yesterday’s meeting of the government’s Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre at Government Headquarters.
Photo: GCS
