Covid-19 | Gov’t to launch special ferry to and from HK airport

A special ferry service between Macau’s Taipa Ferry Terminal and Hong Kong International Airport’s SkyPier will be operated by both TurboJET and Cotai Water Jet between June 17 and July 16, the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Center has announced.
At previous press conferences, the Center has announced that it was in negotiation with authorities in Hong Kong to establish transfer services to retrieve Macau residents returning home through Hong Kong. The Center has disclosed that more than 400 people had notified Macau authorities to express their intention to come home.
On the other hand, there is a significant number of foreign residents, including non-resident workers and tourists, who have been stranded in Macau due to the tightened immigration measures around the world.
Although the government has reiterated that they are free to leave Macau, they have had no means of reaching other places. In some cases, they cannot make an air-to-air transit as many airports have suspended services.
As a result, according to the government, the special ferry service is arranged to cater to all nationals who need to fly out of Macau through Hong Kong, in addition to Macau residents stranded outside of Macau. With that said, only Macau residents will be able to board the ferry from Hong Kong to Macau.
Tickets for the ferry service are priced at MOP/HKD270 each, depending on which harbor the ferry departs from. There are two sailing services inbound to Macau and two outbound each day. The departures will be at 2 p.m. and 11 p.m. to Macau and at 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. to Hong Kong International Airport.
In order to use the homebound ferry, concerned Macau residents – both students and non-students – must register on the Higher Education Bureau’s website 48 hours prior to their flight’s scheduled arrival time in Hong Kong.
For those residents travelling back, their scheduled flight arrival time in Hong Kong must fall between 4 a.m. and 10 p.m. during the service period.
Upon boarding their booked flights, Macau residents must show evidence of their residency (either their Macau ID card or their Macau SAR Passport), the confirmation email from the Macau government and their valid travel documents.
Generally speaking, for outbound passengers, their flights must be scheduled to depart Hong Kong between 12 p.m. and 3 a.m. during the service period, or by 11:59pm on July 16. Details regarding eligibility is available at ticket counters located at the Macau Ferry Terminal and The Venetian Macao.

ZHUHAI QUARANTINE WAIVER
Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Elsie Au Ieong U, disclosed yesterday that quarantine measures for Macau residents will be relaxed slightly. Macau residents without a Zhuhai residence card will be exempted from the 14-day quarantine if they meet certain criteria and undergo a registration process.
The application platform, which is accessible from today, will cater to two groups of the Macau public: people crossing the border for business or for emergency reasons. Residents meeting these criterias can file an application on the Health Bureau’s (SSM) website.
The Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute will conduct a review of the applications in the group of business applicants. Applicants will be asked to provide details of their businesses or employers in Macau or in Zhuhai for verification.
Meanwhile, if residents need to visit Zhuhai for emergency reasons, such as attending a funeral, they may apply for the waiver but evidence may be required for review purposes.
Ao Ieong said each application review might take five days. Approved applicants will still need to get a negative nucleic acid test result to cross the border. With all in place, the approved applicant may travel between Guangdong and Macau for an unlimited time within seven days.
Ao Ieong added that for the time being, reasons such as having dinner or grocery shopping in Zhuhai are unlikely to be accepted.

FRIENDLY MEASURES
FOR NURSERY INFANTS
The government has announced that subsidized nursery operations will not resume this school year. The Social Welfare Bureau announced yesterday that friendly measures would commence to accommodate infants who have no daytime caretaker at home, whose caretaker needs to take care of more than one infant or whose caretaker needs to take care of one infant and an ill, disabled or senior family member. The application period starts today.
The SSM also announced that the 15th round of the centralized mask supply scheme would commence today. All details in this round will remain identical to those in the 14th round.