Govt worries about possible ‘hidden’ COVID-19 mild symptoms cases

Addressing yesterday’s daily press conference about Macau’s novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) situation, Lei Wai Seng, clinical director of the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre, said that with no new COVID-19 cases having been confirmed in Macau for two weeks does not mean that the epidemic in the city is over, warning that there may be “hidden” cases which only carry mild symptoms in some neighbourhoods so that the city was still facing a threat from the virus.Lei

February 19, 2020 | BY admin

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Customs seizes haul of 5-million-patacas worth of parallel trading

A haul of about 9,000 items worth at least 5 million patacas (US$625,000) has been seized after customs officers busted an illegal parallel trading activity, the Macau Customs Service said in a statement yesterday.The statement said that the goods were found in the mezzanine floor of a building near the Barrier Gate on Sunday.The statement said that seizure was part of its effort to support the government’s COVID-19 prevention and control measures and reduce the risk of spreading the novel

February 19, 2020 | BY admin

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Parents relish family time with stay-at-home COVID-19 measure

From telling to urging to strongly warning, through the social media, megaphones and press conferences, and having shut down schools and partly closed government services as well as businesses, the government has been asking the public everyday for the past couple of weeks to stay at home, don’t go out, don’t gather, to fight COVID-19 together.As can be seen on what people have been sharing on social media about their daily lives at home as they take heed of the government’s call, many of

February 19, 2020 | BY admin

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Manila to allow workers to return to HK, Macau

MANILA – The Philippines will allow citizens employed in Hong Kong and Macau to return to their jobs, partially lifting a ban imposed earlier this month to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, AFP reported yesterday. A government task force decided to exempt those working in Hong Kong and Macau from the travel ban “subject to certain formalities,” Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Brigido Dulay said on his Twitter account yesterday. The government also lifted on Friday a travel

February 19, 2020 | BY admin

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Macau’s Procession of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus cancelled over COVID-19 threat

This year’s Procession of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus has been cancelled “in view of the continuing [novel coronavirus] epidemic and the call for public health precautions,” the chancery of Macau’s Roman-Catholic diocese announced yesterday.The procession had been slated from February 29 to March 1.According to a statement received by The Macau Post Daily from the chancery yesterday, the diocese has decided to prolong a string of COVID-19 epidemic prevention measures. All public

February 19, 2020 | BY admin

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2 drug mules from Guinea caught with cocaine worth 6.8 million patacas

Two female drug mules from Guinea have been caught smuggling 130 pellets of cocaine weighing 2,080 grammes worth a total of about 6.8 million patacas (US$850,000) as they entered Macau via the airport, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Chan Wun Man said during a special press conference yesterday.According to Chan, the police recently received a tip-off about international drug traffickers trying to smuggle drugs while various local governments are busy fighting against the COVID-19 virus

February 19, 2020 | BY admin

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Galaxy donates 1 million masks to Macau, Zhuhai, Hengqin

Galaxy Entertainment Group (GEG) is donating one million facemasks to Macau, Zhuhai and Hengqin to support the three areas’ fight against COVID-19, the gaming operator said in a statement yesterday.According to the statement, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Ao Ieong U accepted the first batch of 250,000 masks on behalf of the Macau government yesterday, while the other batch of 250,000 masks will be donated later this week.The statement said that the other 500,000 masks have already

February 19, 2020 | BY admin

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Hotel occupancy falls to 11.6 pct: MGTO

The average room occupancy rate of Macau’s hotels and guesthouses fell to 11.6 percent between February 1 and14, Inés Chan Lou, head of the Licensing and Inspection Department of the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO), said yesterday. Chan revealed the figure during the daily press conference by the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre about the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic.The number of hotels and guesthouses closed in response to the novel coronavirus threat

February 19, 2020 | BY admin

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Residential property prices drop 0.8 pct last year

Macau’s average price per square metre of usable area of residential units dropped 0.8 percent year-on-year to 107,522 patacas (US$13,440) last year, the Statistics and Census Bureau (DSEC) announced today. The average price of existing residential units (100,977 patacas) rose 3.9 percent, while the average price of pre-sale residential units (142,487 patacas) dipped 0.1 percent.The average price per square metre of office units fell 33.8 percent year-on-year to 108,407 patacas. The average

February 19, 2020 | BY admin

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Hotel occupancy falls to 11.6 pct over COVID-19 threat: MGTO

The average room occupancy rate of Macau's hotels and guesthouses fell to 11.6 percent between February 1-14, Ines Chan Lou, head of the Licensing and Inspection Department of the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO), said today. Chan revealed the figure during the daily press conference by the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre about the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic. The number of hotels and guesthouse closed in response to the novel coronavirus threat

February 18, 2020 | BY admin

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Residential property prices drop 0.8 pct last year

Macau's average price per square metre of usable area of residential units dropped 0.8 percent year-on-year to 107,522 patacas (US$13,440) last year, the Statistics and Census Bureau (DSEC) announced today. The average price of existing residential units (100,977 patacas) rose 3.9 percent, while the average price of pre-sale residential units (142,487 patacas) dipped 0.1 percent. The average price per square metre of office units fell 33.8 percent year-on-year to 108,407 patacas. The

February 18, 2020 | BY admin

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Macau's Procession of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus cancelled over COVID-19 threat

This year's Procession of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus has been cancelled "in view of the continuing [noval coronavirus] epidemic and the call of public health precautions," the chancery of Macau's Roman-Catholic diocese announced today. The procession had been slated from February 29 to March 1. According to a statement received by The Macau Post Daily from the chancery this afternoon, the diocese has decided to prolong a string of COVID-19 epidemic prevention measures.

February 18, 2020 | BY admin

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Armed gang steals toilet rolls in panic-buying HK

HONG KONG – A gang of knife-wielding men jumped a delivery driver in Hong Kong and stole hundreds of toilet rolls, police said yesterday, in a city wracked by shortages caused by novel coronavirus-induced panic-buying.Toilet rolls have become hot property in the densely packed business hub, despite government assurances that supplies remain unaffected by the virus outbreak.Supermarkets have found themselves unable to restock quickly enough, leading to sometimes lengthy queues and shelves

February 18, 2020 | BY admin

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Snapshots of daily life as city fights COVID-19

People queue up outside a bank in the city centre.Residents queue outside the Financial Services Bureau (DSF) in Nam Van as the government has resumed its basic services, requiring the public to present a health declaration via a QR code upon entering public administration premises.A QR code for residents to scan to fill out a digital health declaration form is on display outside the General Post Office.Shoppers crowd a clothing shop in the city centre.A “strong warning” by the government

February 18, 2020 | BY admin

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