Only around 10% of all quarantine periods undertaken in Macau’s designated quarantine venues have been exempted from payment, the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) acknowledged in a reply to the Times.
According to MGTO’s registered figures, “from September 1, 2020, until March 4, 2022, a total of 6,115 cases were eligible for exemption and a total of 2,284 cases were rejected,” MGTO said, adding that some 658 cases are currently undergoing evaluation.
According to the latest figures released by the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Center last week, as of March 3, a total of 60,482 quarantine periods in medical observation had been undertaken in Macau.
As the Times had previously reported, the majority of the medically-observed quarantine periods hosted within Macau hotels have been completed by non-residents.
According to the figures cited by Dr. Leong Iek Hou at the time, of a total of 60,208 quarantine periods hosted in Macau, 35,857 – or 59.6% – were completed by non-residents, including non-resident workers and tourists.
Currently, there are three categories of medical observation hotels in Macau.
Residents can choose to stay at the “optional medical observation hotel,” instead of the “designated medical observation hotel,” but, in that case, they must settle the payment at their own cost and cannot apply for exemption from the government.
The “designated medical observation hotel” is limited to Macau residents and their accompanying relatives, as well as to non-resident laborers, while the “special medical observation hotel” is mandatory for people classified as “second-highest risk individuals.” These include people returning from foreign countries, Hong Kong, or other high-risk areas according to the classification of the Health Bureau.
Currently, “special medical observation hotel” status is being assigned to Treasure Hotel in Taipa, which, besides the previously mentioned guests, also includes other groups of high-risk workers under closed-loop management housed in the hotel.
The price for the quarantine period will be determined by each hotel according to different room types, as well as quarantine duration.
Residents staying at both the “designated hotel” or “special hotel” can apply for exemption from the quarantine cost if they have been in Macau for at least 183 days within the last 365 days before returning to the territory, and are undergoing medical observation for the first time.
Special exemptions from quarantine payment may also be granted to students enrolled in higher or non-tertiary education recognized by the local authority and which justifies their absence from Macau due to studies abroad, as well as cases in which people had gone abroad for medical treatment and hospitalization, workers that need to travel as part of their working duties to Macau employers or companies, and those traveling as part od official duties to serve the Macau SAR government.
Gov’t investment in quarantine undisclosed
The MGTO declined to provide, at present, figures relating to the total expenditure of the government in respect of the 6,115 cases in which residents were eligible for exemption from payment.
In response to the inquiry from the Times, MGTO said, “Given the ongoing epidemic prevention works in Macau and the continuous use of various hotels as medical observation facilities and the varying cost due to changes in requirements according to the pandemic situation, we are not able to provide the cost of government investment.”
