Influx of arrivals last week may increase risk of imported cases

Macau saw a deluge of arrivals coming from high and mid-level risk areas last week between November 23-29, which may increase contagion risks emerging from imported cases, the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Center said in yesterday’s media briefing.
“We will not rule out any possibilities that the arrivals, who returned last week and are now undergoing quarantine, may develop symptoms in the meantime. This may result in new imported Covid-19 cases in Macau,” said Medical Director of the Conde de São Januário Hospital Dr. Alvis Lo.
From Monday to Sunday last week, a total of 685 people entered Macau from locations classified as high risk for Covid-19. Among all of them, 400 were non-Macau residents while the remaining 285 were local residents.
The daily arrival number saw a sharp surge particularly on November 29, registering a total of 190 arrivals — 3.3 times the 57 arrivals reported on the previous day.
The team speculated that the sudden climb in arrivals and returnees was due to the commencement of school holidays in some overseas countries.
Most arrivals recorded last week were students who came to Macau from the United Kingdom or Australia by transiting through Taiwan, said Leong Iek Hou, Coordinator at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Due to the worsening pandemic situation in some high-risk countries, the risk for the possible emergence of imported cases in Macau will be subsequently higher as well,” Leong said.
The team pledged to heighten preventative efforts, especially among front-line staff, to minimize the possibility of imported cases.

Six entry authorization requests approved
Relaxed entry regulations for foreigners have allowed non-Macau residents who have stayed in the mainland for more than 14 days to enter the city since December 1.
Foreigners satisfying certain criteria can apply to the Center for permission to enter macau.
The SAR government has received a total of 84 applications involving 102 people so far.
However, only six applicants were approved, while the rest are under review or waiting for supporting documents to be submitted. The team disclosed these figures when asked by media about the details of the scheme.
Leong further revealed the breakdown of the statistics: “26 of applicants are relatives of Macau residents, while 56 of them are blue cardholders. Another 20 people were categorized in ‘other’ segment, including students.”
The city’s weekly tourist traffic, including arrivals and departures, displayed growth of 1.29% week-on-week in November 23-29, totaling approximately 322,100.
As of November 30, there were 1,216 people observing the mandatory 14-day quarantine in the designated quarantine facility.
The majority, or 714 of those undergoing quarantine, were tourists. 466 of them were Macau residents and another 36 were foreign workers.
By the end of yesterday, the city has had no new imported cases of Covid-19 for a consecutive 157 days. The last one was reported in June.
Since the outbreak, the city registered a total of 46 confirmed cases. All of them were recovered, and no deaths from the disease have been reported. Staff Reporter