Gov’t to question Japan about Macau’s risk classification

Enquiries will be made to the Japanese Consulate on the country’s identifying Macau as riskier than Hong Kong, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Elsie Ao Ieong revealed over the weekend.

Speaking on the sidelines of the congregation of a local university, Ao Ieong was asked for feedback on Tokyo’s decision.

Last week, Tokyo announced the grouping of countries into three batches, by which their citizens would be admitted by Japan under various conditions based on their respective risk classification. The three color-
coded classifications are, in ascending order of risk, blue, yellow, and red.

Of the four Chinese-speaking jurisdictions, only Macau appears in the yellow group. The other three, namely Taiwan, Hong Kong, and mainland China, are all in the blue group, signaling the lowest level of risk.

Citizens of jurisdictions in the blue group will not be required to complete vaccination before entering Japan. Upon arrival, they will also be exempt from SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid tests (NATs) and quarantine.

By contrast, those in the yellow group will need to be fully vaccinated to get an exemption from NATs and quarantine, although unvaccinated citizens can still enter the country.

Questioned on the matter, Ao Ieong revealed that the government will send letters of enquiry to the Japanese consul general in Macau and Hong Kong about the classification.

Her argument will be based mainly on the city’s vaccination rate of 89% and the local government “publicizing Covid-19 data internally and externally.” 

Additionally, Ao Ieong believes that local dissemination of data, which she described as trilingual, is sufficient.

The senior official declined to comment on claims that Macau’s lack of mass outbreaks is a reason for Japan’s classification.

Meanwhile, the Macao Government Tourism Office will obtain further information through official channels, stressing that it has been marketing Macau as a safe tourism destination.

Noting that Hong Kong accepts foreign arrivals while Macau does not, social media users were not convinced by Ao Ieong’s “enquiry” approach. Some users wondered why Japan would treat Macau more favorably while Japanese arrivals are still banned from Macau.