Ban of foreign visitors aims to protect locals: health chief

2 cases confirmed yesterday, bringing total to 13 Addressing yesterday evening’s daily press conference about Macau’s novel coronavirus (COVID-19) situation, Health Bureau (SSM) Director Lei Chin Ion said that the local government has decided to ban foreign visitors from entering Macau – a measure that started to be implemented after midnight last night – because Macau’s isolation and medical facilities would not be able to cope with a large number of possible COVID-19 patients

March 18, 2020 | BY admin

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China takes countermeasures against restrictive measures on Chinese media agencies in US

BEIJING – China yesterday announced countermeasures against restrictive measures on Chinese media agencies in the United States, according to an official statement.The statement said that in recent years, the US government has placed unwarranted restrictions on Chinese media agencies and personnel in the United States, purposely made things difficult for their normal reporting assignments, and subjected them to growing discrimination and politically motivated oppression.In December 2018, the

March 18, 2020 | BY admin

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Fight against virus to boost globalization

Analysis by Wang Kan The world economy is encountering strong headwinds, especially because the novel coronavirus outbreak has disrupted global supply chains, giving rise to fears that it would undermine the globalization process. Will economic globalization come to a grinding halt? Two experts* share their views on the issue with China Daily’s Wang Kan. Excerpts follow:New drivers of economic growth emergingIn the short term, the coronavirus outbreak is a blow to the world at large. But

March 18, 2020 | BY Wang Kan

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Woman pawns boyfriend’s watch, uses his credit card for gambling

A local woman pawned her boyfriend’s watch and spent the money on gambling then used his credit card to withdraw cash with the intention of buying back his watch but instead used the money to gamble again, altogether losing about 100,000 patacas on the gaming tables.Her boyfriend discovered the case from his credit card transaction records, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokeswoman Lei Hon Nei said at a regular press conference yesterday.Lei said that the woman is a 43-year-old surnamed Wong who

March 18, 2020 | BY admin

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Man who robbed woman ‘selling hotel rooms’ nabbed when reentering city

One of the two mainland men who robbed a mainland woman of 160,000 patacas in a hotel guestroom in Nape in November last year was arrested when he reentered the city on Monday evening, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokeswoman Lei Hon Nei said in a special press conference yesterday.According to Lei, the suspect is a 30-year-old man surnamed Tang from Hunan province who claims to be a businessman, while the woman is engaged in renting out hotel guestrooms after “buying” them from intermediaries.Lei

March 18, 2020 | BY admin

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Macau confirms 13th COVID-19 case, second in a day

The Macau government announced tonight the city's 13th novel coronavirus (COVID-19) case, the second case confirmed today and the third in as many days. According to a statement by the Macau Government Information Bureau (GCS), the latest COVID-19 patient is a 20-year-old female Macau resident studying in the United Kingdom. She recently departed from London en route to Hong Kong via Kuala Lumpur. She arrived in Hong Kong last night. She arrived in Macau by bus via the Hong

March 17, 2020 | BY admin

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Int'l volleyball contest in Macau postponed over COVID-19

The Macau government's Sports Bureau (ID) said in a statement today that in response to the latest developments of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Lausanne-based Federation Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) has announced the postponement of the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) 2020 until after the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.The statement noted that the FIVB Women's Volleyball Nations League Macau 2020 event, originally scheduled to take place from June 2-4 at the Macau Forum in

March 17, 2020 | BY admin

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Macau bans foreign visitors, confirms Spaniard as 12th COVID-19 case

The Macau government announced today a blanket ban on all foreign visitors from 0:00 tomorrow.Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng's executive order on the ban was published in today's Official Gazette (BO). According to the order, only compatriots from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan as well as  non-resident workers (informally known as "blue-card holders") employed in Macau will be allowed to enter Macau. Based on the One China policy, mainland Chinese, Hongkongers and

March 17, 2020 | BY admin

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Legislature passes joint Hengqin checkpoint bill

The Legislative Assembly (AL) yesterday passed a government-initiated bill enabling Macau’s Lotus Flower border checkpoint to be relocated to the new Hengqin border checkpoint building.The new legislation will apply local law on the Macau-side zone of the new Hengqin checkpoint and adjoining areas.The bill’s outline was passed during a plenary session of the legislature in January this year. The legislature’s 2nd Standing Committee held three meetings to review the bill.Secretary for

March 17, 2020 | BY admin

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Macau imposes quarantine on arrivals from all foreign countries

Addressing yesterday’s daily press conference about Macau’s novel coronavirus (COVID-19) situation, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Elsie Ao Ieong U announced that with effect from 00:00 today, all those who have been to a foreign country within the past 14 days prior to their entry into Macau must stay under medical surveillance for 14 days in a place designated by the Health Bureau (SSM), considering that Macau has just confirmed its 11th COVID-19 case and the disease is

March 17, 2020 | BY admin

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Consumption smart card website can process up to 250,000 registrations per hour: Macau govt

Registration for consumption smart cards begins at 9 a.m. tomorrow, with the website being able to process 250,000 registrations per hour, the government announced in a press conference at the Macau Trade and Investment Institute (IPIM) yesterday.The government previously said it was giving each Macau permanent and non-permanent residents 3,000 patacas through a smart card to spend locally, as part of its measures to stimulate the local economy, support local businesses and stabilise the job

March 17, 2020 | BY admin

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Govt gradually reopens cultural venues

After the reopening of some public libraries and museums early this month, the Cultural Bureau (IC) reopened several other cultural facilities yesterday.Many of the bureau’s cultural venues have been closed since February as part of the government’s COVID-19 prevention measures.According to a statement by the bureau, the cultural facilities that partially opened to the public yesterday comprise the city’s UNESCO World Heritage sites namely the Mandarin’s House (only the ground floor and

March 17, 2020 | BY admin

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Young local artist shows her creations within circles

An exhibition entitled “Roude E Terra”, a collection of illustrations by young local artist Aya Lei, is on display at the 10 Fantasia gallery.The event is being co-hosted by the Macau Handcraft and Creative People Association, 10 Fantasia – A Creative Industries Incubator and the St. Lazarus Church District Creative Industries Promotion Association.According to Lei’s Facebook page, the main theme of the exhibition is based on the concept of a “circle”.Geometrically it means the

March 17, 2020 | BY admin

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Lawmakers reject trade union bill for 11th time

The Legislative Assembly (AL) rejected yesterday for the 11th time a trade union bill.The latest version of the bill was submitted by lawmakers Lam Lon Wai and Lei Chan U, both members of the Macau Federation of Trade Unions (generally known as Gung Luen, its Cantonese name). Most of the 16 legislators who rejected the bill said that it should be the government that comes up with a trade union bill. Secretary for Economy and Finance Lei Wai Nong told reporters last week that the government

March 17, 2020 | BY admin

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