Gov’t foreshadows retraction of some outdoor NAT stations

Adjustments to the location of outdoor SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid test (NAT) stations will be made from time to time as per the development of the Covid-19 outbreak, with the possibility of withdrawal, a government doctor said at yesterday’s regular press briefing.

Lei Wai Seng, Accident and Emergency doctor and medical director at the public hospital made these comments when asked about concerns over crowd formation at outdoor NAT stations.

He remarked that adjustments may be made in the future.

“If, in the future, crowds start to form at outdoor NAT stations, adjustments cannot be ruled out,” Lei added. “These stations, meanwhile, are only mid-term facilities. Adjustments will be made in the future as per the development of the pandemic.”

The mobility of these stations is the key to their easy alteration, Lei said.

“As you can see, these outdoor stations are very mobile and easily adjustable. They can be moved around easily,” Lei pointed out.

He also pledged that the Health Bureau (SSM) would closely monitor the work – especially in terms of epidemiological control – of these stations. Adjustments can be made if they unduly impact residents accessing leisure and recreation.

Lei added that the location planning for outdoor NAT stations was conducted with consideration of the population and needs of each area.

“In previous press conferences, I have disclosed that the location of each station focused on the convenience factor,” Lei recapped. “Of course, some recreational areas are in use for that purpose.”

The medical doctor emphasized that outdoor NAT stations were set up to support citywide mass NAT drives during the past outbreak, before saying that adjustments could be made in the future.

“They were set up to support our mass test drives,” he said. “As the key groups shrink in size and the border-crossing groups expand, we may make appropriate adjustments to these [outdoor] stations.”

Lei suggested that people stay tuned to the booking conditions of each station, adding that the key problem is with the payment gateway.

“Because we’ve been taking mobile or e-payment at test stations, time will be required to introduce payment gateways at these outdoor stations,” Lei disclosed. “I believe more self-paid stations will be available for prospective test takers.”

At the press briefing, it was also announced that self-paid NAT would have a reduced price from today, with the price for each such test to be lowered from MOP55 to MOP50.

Lei added that not all outdoor stations would necessarily follow this price rule.

Delaying close-loop cessation at certain facilities 

Twenty-six minutes before yesterday’s press briefing, the Social Welfare Bureau (IAS) issued a statement to announce the resumption of normal operations at 36 care facilities that had been forced into closed-loop administration, a term that the government used to refer to the state in which workers and users of such facilities were forced to stay confined in the facilities.

“Since the resumption of quarantine-free border-crossing between Macau and Zhuhai at 6 p.m. on August 3, staff at facilities who reside in Macau or the mainland will be allowed to continue or terminate the closed-loop state,” IAS wrote in the statement.

It added that 11 rehabilitation facilities and a drug rehabilitation facility will lift all confinement measures from August 8, while 24 elderly homes will do so, on top of foreign visitation resumptions from August 15.

It was asked at the briefing why there had been different handling of all care facilities. Since IAS did not assign any official to yesterday’s briefing, government public health doctor and SSM division head Leong Iek Hou attempted to respond on IAS’s behalf.

“As per my understanding, the delayed termination to closed-loop management at certain facilities mainly concerns elderly hostels, where people with weaker immune systems are hosted,” Leong said. “We attempt to ensure that a risk of infection is completely [eliminated] before their resumption of normal operations.”

She reiterated that the delay is based on safety, adding that workers can leave the loop. The retained confinement measure will only apply to visitors.

The panel of officials was also questioned as to whether there was scope to exempt infants from taking regular NATs, as occurred in some previous rounds of citywide mass NAT drives.

In response, also on behalf of IAS, Leong said that with more people moving around the city, the risk of infections could be on the rise. Considering the weaker immune systems of infants and their risk, testing them regularly is justifiable.

On the resumption of athletes’ regular training, the public health doctor explained that as long as athletes follow SSM guidelines on venue use, sporting activities had been allowed to resume, including athletes’ training sessions.

Second booster available 

The Health Bureau is calling on people at high risk of Covid-19 infection to be inoculated with a second booster dose in a bid to lower the risk of another large-scale epidemic in the city. The bureau has shortened the interval between the first and second booster doses for relevant persons to three months after the previous dose. The relevant vaccination services will be provided from tomorrow.