Local residents currently studying full-time at schools and universities abroad will be granted a 50% discount on the nucleic acid tests (NAT) to be undertaken during the quarantine period on their return to Macau, the coordinator of the local Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Leong Iek Hou, announced yesterday during the regular weekly briefing from the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Center.
The discount measure comes following the announcement earlier this week that, from May 8, those undergoing quarantine in Macau will need to pay 250 patacas for each NAT obtained during quarantine. The measure imposes a total testing cost of 1,250 patacas (for five tests) for those arriving from several regions of the mainland and 2,000 patacas (for eight tests) for those arriving from abroad or from Hong Kong or Taiwan.
According to Leong, the discounted NAT price for students is not a government measure but a contribution from the private companies that perform the NAT sampling and testing. The companies have decided to reduce costs for these students under their corporate social responsibility schemes.
To access the scheme, the students need to submit an application that will be certified by the Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) to ensure they are eligible for the discount. If approved, they will pay only 1,000 patacas for the eight tests required during the medical observation period.
“The discount is done by the entity, not by the government. As far as we know there are no restrictions on the number of students that can enjoy this discount as long as they are eligible and their situation has been verified by the DSEDJ. But we reaffirm that this applies to full-time students that are residing abroad for that purpose only and does not apply to people traveling abroad for any other reasons,” Leong said.
More information on how students can apply for the certification required to access the discount will be published at a later date.
