59 Macau residents expected to land in Taipa between 5:30 p.m. and 6 p.m.

FILE – In this Jan. 28 file photo, people wearing face masks walk down a deserted street in Wuhan in central China’s Hubei Province.

A total of 59 Macau residents are expected to land at the Macau International Airport (MIA) between 5:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Saturday, Director of the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes announced during Friday’s press conference.

Saturday, at 9:30 a.m., flight NX9608 will take off from MIA and will fly for about 1.5 hours until it lands at the Wuhan Tianhe International Airport. The returning flight, NX9607, is scheduled to take off at 4 p.m.

In total, Air Macau will deploy two captains, four flight attendants and one aircraft engineer for the repatriation mission.

MGTO will send two workers to join the trip to Wuhan. One doctor, three nurses from Conde S. Januário Hospital (CHCSJ) and two doctors from the disease control center will also travel to Wuhan on the chartered flight.

The 59 residents come from 32 families, including 19 under-age children, six below 5 years old, seven aged between 5 and 12, six aged between 12 and 18, and two senior citizens aged 75 and 77. 23 out of the 59 residents are currently in Wuhan.

The residents are required to arrive at the Wuhan airport before 10 a.m. The group of residents will go through a series of medical checkups and body temperature scans conducted by the team from Macau and by concerned mainland authorities.

Passengers will have to wear single-use protective uniforms, masks and glasses. No carry-on luggage will be allowed.

The Macau government will distribute among passengers a specific bag to keep items restricted at check-in, such as laptops. All luggage items will be sanitized.

Inside the flight, seats have been arranged as to maximize the distance between passengers.

The 59 residents will board and get off the aircraft through a different door. The cabin crew and government representatives will board through the ordinary aircraft entrance, whereas the 59 Macau residents take the back entrance.

Once they land at the Macau airport, anybody with an abnormal health condition will be delivered immediately to CHCSJ. In case no abnormal situations are identified, the Fire Services Bureau will use six vehicles to take the 59 residents to the Coloane health isolation facility for a 14-day medical observation. During this period, these residents will undergo three Covid-19 virus tests. One will take place on March 8; the remaining two will take place within 48 hours after the medical observation period. Their luggage will also go to the Coloane medical observation facility to undergo sanitization.

All Air Macau cabin crew, including captains and the aircraft engineer, and MGTO representatives will first receive sanitization at the Coloane medical facility. Afterwards, the group will spend 14 days in Pousada Marina Infante Hotel for quarantine. Doctors and nurses are not required an isolated quarantine. However, these medical professionals still need to undergo a 14-day health observation.

After the repatriation trip, the concerned Air Macau aircraft will be sanitized and will not be used in any flight mission within seven days.

After this first chartered flight, the local government will review relevant measures to decide the best solution for Macau residents who will not fly back to town on Saturday.

Last patient left hospital, Macau has zero cases

The city’s last Covid-19 patient has left the hospital today. Macau has now officially zero cases.

The last patient was the eighth confirmed case in Macau, a 64-year-old Macau local resident. She stayed in hospital 34 days.

She is currently in the Coloane health isolation facility undergoing a 14-day isolation period.

Friday also marks 31 days without new cases in Macau.

Despite a “safe” period of 31 consecutive days, SSM Director Lei Chin Ion stressed that the Macau public should remain cautious. “It is still too early to say we don’t need to wear facemasks anymore,” said Lei.