Health code, venue code no longer mandatory in most venues

The presentation of health codes and footprint recording has become non-mandatory for most venues across the city, the Health Bureau (SSM) has announced.

Health codes are still needed for government offices, medical facilities, social services entities (including nurseries) and non-tertiary education institutions, but are unnecessary for public transport.

Venue operators or owners may still request health codes, the SSM said.

Venue operators or owners who admit people holding yellow or red health codes should make special arrangements to lower their chance of interacting with green code holders.

Catered gatherings with 300 or more people will require attendees to show negative results from a SARS-CoV-2 same-day rapid antigen test (RAT) or a 24-preceding-hour nucleic acid test (NAT) for admission.

Performance venues will have 75% capacity limit, but the requirement for two doses of vaccine or 24-preceding-hour NAT has been dropped.

The treatment of positive cases will be changed from Wednesday.

A new digital platform will evaluate the medical needs of people testing positive. Questions will be asked, such as the existence of symptoms and, if any, their severity, as well as personal health data, including the existence of chronic diseases and the medical treatment being undertaken.

Despite the evaluation platform, the SSM has said people who experience shortness of breath or other emergency conditions skip the evaluation and call 999 immediately.

After evaluation, each positive case will be categorized as per medical needs and will require various means of handling, namely isolation at home, seeking medical services at the Covid-19 outpatient clinics, proceeding to the community clinic at the Macao Dome, or calling an ambulance to relocate to the public hospital.

Special bus services will transport positive cases to the Macao Dome.

Those without digital literacy, such as some elderly people, will be allowed to contact the Covid-19 outpatient clinics directly.

Positive cases will be allowed to work if their occupation is essential.

Close contacts, such co-habitants, will get yellow codes but these will not be delivered to any public facilities. They will be required to self-manage until the fifth day after the co-living positive case tests negative of RAT or NAT.

Close contacts are allowed to go to work but need to take a RAT before leaving home.

The SSM has conducted simulated at the three outpatient clinics at ZAPE, Bairro da Ilha Verde and the Macau Stadium Roundabout.