Gov’t unaware of cause of quarantine worker’s infection

Local authorities have not yet been able to identify the cause of infection of a security worker on duty at the England Marina Club Hotel, the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Elsie Ao Ieong, confirmed to the media on the sidelines of the Q&A session at the Legislative Assembly.

The staff member is responsible for distributing meals and other duties at the quarantine hotel facility used for residents who test positive on their return to Macau but who have no symptoms of the disease. The worker tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday during a regular nucleic acid test (NAT), which workers operating in the closed-loop system need to undergo at least once every two days.

According to Ao Ieong, although the positive result proves the infection of the worker operating under a closed-loop system, there was no significant problem identified regarding the England Marina Club Hotel’s infection prevention systems and measures.

“It was [considered] that he might have been exposed to the virus either during rubbish collection or when taking off protective gear,” the same high-ranking official said, noting that due to the facility’s purpose, workers face a relatively higher risk of infection compared to regular quarantine hotels.

Asked if the government should continue to use hotels for people who have tested positive or should instead opt to isolate them in medical facilities, the secretary said that, in the last few weeks, Macau has seen a large influx of returnees. In some cases, 10 new arriving cases are found in a single day. Currently, the Health Bureau does not have enough capacity to accommodate all these people, namely those who do not have any symptoms and do not need medical care, so the government will continue to follow its contingency plan according to the current situation.