Gov’t bans Hong Kong returnees from booking optional quarantine hotels
Returnees from Hong Kong will only be allowed to complete their quarantine period at the Treasure Hotel, which is specifically designed for medical observation for residents arriving from high-risk regions.
In a statement issued by the health authority last night, the government said that all those who intend to enter Macau from Hong Kong will have their reservations for other medical observation hotels starting on or after February 25 cancelled.
Yesterday afternoon, a source told the Times that one of the optional hotels has been instructed by the government to stop accepting bookings for Hong Kong returnees. The source further implied that the new instruction from the government would cause chaos among those who have planned to return, as they will have to make sure they are able to secure a place in the 450-room Treasure Hotel.
Currently, arrivals from Hong Kong are required to undergo a 14-day quarantine period, plus another seven days of self-isolation.
Back in November, the government announced the new type of hotel designated for medical observation would start operation in December to accommodate arrivals from high-risk foreign countries, who are required to complete a 21-day quarantine period.
Initially the only group of people who were subject to quarantine in the new specialized hotel category were those flying in from Singapore, although the country is now classified as a second-tier high-risk location.
However, due to the fifth wave of Covid-19 in Hong Kong, returnees from the neighboring region have been added to the list.
Hong Kong will test its entire population for Covid-19 in March, Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced yesterday, as the city grapples with its worst outbreak yet, driven by the Omicron variant.
Another 16 deaths have been reported Monday, including an 11-month-old baby. That same day, daily infection numbers hit a record high, with more than 7,500 new cases.
A Macau nucleic acid testing team was sent to Hong Kong last week to join the fight against the fifth wave of Covid-19.
The team of eight professional inspection and technical personnel, arranged by China Certification & Inspection Group Macau (CCIC Macau), joined CCIC Hong Kong to provide support to the Yuen Long district in Hong Kong.
Beijing has also sent its second batch of medical teams.
Hong Kong is already operating under its strictest curbs on travel, business and public activity since the pandemic began.
New announcement to have no impact on occupancy rate
As local hotels do not host many guests from Hong Kong, the announcements made by the government will not have an impact to the city’s hotel occupancy rate, according to the president of Macau Hotel Association, Rutger Verschuren.
Currently, hotels in the city are mainly dependent on mainland tourists, who comprise up to 90% of occupants, while the rest consist of local staycations.
“For the Hong Kong market, it’s basically [been] nothing for the last two years,” said the president, citing the fact that arrivals from the region require quarantine, therefore, returnees are sent straight to medical observation hotels.
“I think the quarantine hotels will definitely feel that and have side effects [business-wise],” he told the Times.
