Macau Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng, who made a rare address to the territory yesterday to announce the new border entry measures
New entry restrictions that came into effect at midnight have set the bar higher for people wishing the enter the Macau Special Administrative Region.
According to an announcement yesterday by the Chief Executive, the new measures will mostly affect residents of Hong Kong and Taiwan who have not spent the 14 days prior to their Macau entry in mainland China.
The new measures build on an earlier restriction that took effect Thursday last week, barring any non-Chinese nationals from entering the city. A day earlier, Macau had barred entry to the city to all non-Chinese nationals except foreign nationals who were also considered non-resident workers of Macau.
As protected by the law, any Macau resident is able to return to Macau. However, they will be subject to varying quarantine measures.
For example, Macau residents that have travaled to anywhere other than mainland China in the 14 days prior to entry will need to undergo two weeks of medical observation at designated locations. However, Macau residents who have only visited mainland China in the past 14 days are still free to travel between Macau and the mainland without undergoing any quarantine measures upon their return to Macau.
Chinese nationals from the rest of the greater China region (encompassing mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan) are allowed to enter Macau if they have only been traveling or residing in the mainland in the 14 days prior to their entry to Macau. They will be subject to initial testing and medical examination upon entry, which may take up to eight hours to clear.
This means that residents of Hong Kong and Taiwan will have no problem entering Macau, provided they do not have a travel record to anywhere other than mainland China within the past 14 days.
Residents of mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan with a travel history to Hong Kong or Taiwan within the past 14 days are allowed to enter Macau but must undergo a 14-day medical observation at appointed locations.
Those residents of the greater China region with travel history to foreign countries within the past 14 days are not allowed to enter Macau at all.
During yesterday’s press conference, Macau’s Chief Executive, Ho Iat Seng, warned travelers not to disclose their recent travel history.
Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan residents who plan to exploit the loophole in these policies by first traveling to mainland China and then crossing the border to Macau will not succeed, according to Ho, because Macau and the mainland share information about the travel history of everybody who crosses the border. Anyone caught attempting to conceal their travel history will be reported to the relevant government’s police authority immediately.
Meanwhile, the policy for foreign workers in Macau who are also residents of mainland China will remain the same.
Workers must have medical proof that they are not infected with Covid-19, otherwise they must complete a 14-day hotel quarantine in Zhuhai before they enter Macau. The same policy is applicable to mainland tourists with a travel history to Hubei province or other provinces with a high number of Covid-19 cases within the past 14 days.
Non-Chinese nationals, both blue-card holders and foreign tourists are not allowed to enter Macau under the current restrictions.
According to these policies, only Macau residents moving between mainland China and Macau are not subject to the aforementioned restrictions.
Also starting from midnight, no layovers will be allowed. This means nobody can enter Macau with a passport and a flight ticket to a third country.
At the same time, Hong Kong has issued a ban on the entry of all non-residents starting midnight and lasting at least until March 31. However, according to the Macau government’s statistics, there are still approximately 680 Macau residents waiting to travel to Macau from foreign countries, and are expected to travel before March 31.
Ho explained that because these students will not set foot in Hong Kong territory, the Hong Kong government will help to transport them immediately to Macau.
Regarding any possible assistance requests from Macau residents currently overseas and looking to return to the city after April 1, Ho said “I will not make any promises here.”
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