Fishermen to fulfill mandatory 14-day quarantine upon entry

Fishermen returning to Macau will have to undergo a quarantine period of at least 14-days when arriving in Macau by sea, the health authorities informed during yesterday’s press conference of the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Center.
“Fishermen who return to Macau on fishing boats are subjected to the same rules as everyone else,” said center coordinator, Leong Iek Hou. “The only difference is that according to DSAMA (Marine and Water Bureau) regulations, they cannot leave the vessel or leave it unattended. At least one member needs to stay on board at all time.”
For this reason and since conditions on the boats are considered acceptable for fishermen to undergo quarantine, “fishermen can opt to undergo the quarantine on board or come on land and do it in a designated hotel,” Doctor Lo Iek Long of the Conde de São Januário Hospital further explained.
Leong added that it is difficult to ascertain at this moment how many people will be affected by this measure, as every year the number of fishermen onboard fishing vessels changes. However, it is known that the measure will apply to a total of 170 fishing boats.
According to Lo, the fishermen will be also be a part of groups that will be subjected to nucleic acid screening for Covid-19 during their quarantine period.