Entreaty for mainland workers to not travel came amidst China’s surge of Covid-19 cases 

The Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) issued an appeal yesterday, urging mainland workers residing in Macau not to return to their hometowns in China during the Spring Festival in a bid to minimize contagion risk.
The DSAL accentuated this advice in a meeting yesterday with representatives of the Macao Chamber of Commerce and the Associação de Agências de Emprego de Capital da China (Macau), the two alliances that are respectively devoted to promoting cross-border business exchange and providing vocational support to mainland workers in Macau.
In the exchange, DSAL authorities called on employers within the city’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to talk their mainland staff into staying in Macau during the holiday.
The move is intended to “minimize people flow and gatherings” during the Lunar New Year holiday, DSAL stated in an announcement published yesterday.
The DSAL indicated its intent to also touch base with other business associations to convey the message later that day, such as the Industry and Commerce Federation of Macau Central and Southern District and the Industry and Commerce Federation of Islands of Macau, said the statement.
Authorities emphasized that the plea is to ensure the MSAR region is in alignment with the recommendation of the National Health Commission and anti-pandemic measures implemented by the SAR government.
Recently, some of China’s municipal governments, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Anhui and more, have implored residents to spend the Lunar New Year within towns and avoid unnecessary cross-city travel.
Earlier, the Shenzhen municipal government promulgated a series of stringent measures to restrict domestic travel during the holiday. The measures prohibit leading members of public institutions and state-owned enterprises from traveling to medium and high-risk areas, and asked them to take the lead to stay in Shenzhen during the holiday.
Changsha’s Education Bureau also banned teachers, students and employees of the city’s education system from vising other provinces from now until the end of the winter holiday — a school holiday which usually lasts for a month around the Lunar New Year.
As of January 10, China saw 103 new Covid-19 cases — the first three-digit number and highest daily tally reported by the National Health Commission over the last five months. Among all confirmed cases, 85 were considered locally-transmitted cases, while the remaining 18 were imported cases.
Hebei province was hit the hardest by the new outbreak, accounting for almost all (or 82 out of 85) local cases recorded on January 10. It was followed by two cases in Liaoning province and one from Beijing.
China last registered a three-digit daily number of Covid-19 cases on July 30, when it reported a total of 127 cases.
Following the DSAL’s announcement, Ma Iao Lai, President of the Macao Chamber of Commerce and Standing Committee Member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, called on employers to offer arrangements to facilitate their employees to stay in Macau during the holiday to avoid a fresh wave of the pandemic.
This can also save unnecessary expenditure on quarantine facilities upon their return to Macau, Ma stressed.
In yesterday’s media briefing, the Medical Director of the Conde de São Januário Hospital Alvis Lo reiterated the DSAL’s guidance, urging mainland workers and local residents to avoid “unnecessary travel” and stay in Macau during the holiday.
The seven-day Lunar New Year holiday in 2021 falls between February 11 and 17.  Honey Tsang