Briefs | DSES invites Macau students abroad to register for facemasks

Macau students pursuing higher education abroad can register for the new round of mask supply, which is set to begin July 31. The students can register for the new round on the Higher Education Bureau’s (DSES) website between July 31 and August 5. They must nominate a representative to collect their facemasks for them. Students who have already enrolled in the past do not need to submit their basic personal data again or upload the certificate of attendance, and may simply select the date and time for the prior appointment of the mask purchase. The DSES will send a confirmation email to the registered student and a confirmation message to its representative, after verification of the data. The point of sale of masks is now at the Higher Education Students Center located on Avenida Conselheiro Ferreira de Almeida.

New motor vehicle registrations rise 7.4% in first half of 2020

The number of newly registered motor vehicles rose by 7.4% in year-on-year terms in the first half of 2020, according to data released yesterday by the Statistics and Census Service. A total of 5,293 vehicles were newly registered in the first half of the year, with just over 1,000 registrations in June alone. Meanwhile, in the first six months of the year, there were 4,241 road traffic accidents, involving 1,515 victims and 3 fatalities. Cross-border vehicular traffic dropped by 65.1% year-on-year to 908,000 trips, while flight movements declined 74.3% year-on-year to just 9,161 trips and air cargo reduced by 28.1% to 13,215 tonnes.

Study finds residents see themselves as Macanese and Chinese

The University of Macau has released the results of a five-year study on the city’s social development based on a large-scale household survey. The survey covered a variety of topics, including social stratification, migration, family transformation, social identity, physical and mental health, values and norms, addiction and crime, and the influences of gaming and tourism. The research team drew a sample of more than 2,600 households and interviewed over 3,500 Macau residents aged 16 or above in the households. According to the UM, the study yielded several findings. Firstly, Macau is overall a prosperous and wealthy society with stable families. Secondly, a high percentage of Macau residents is composed of migrants and migrant workers, who mostly came from mainland China to reunite with their families or to seek employment. Thirdly, multiculturalism is prevalent in the faith and value systems among Macau residents. Finally, Macau residents report a strong identification with mainland China. Most of them see themselves as both Macanese and Chinese, the study found.