Macau Covid-19 entry restrictions to be lifted

Macau will open its borders to all foreign nationalities from Jan.8 and arrivals to the city will not require Health Bureau (SSM) approval, with some not even needing a pre-departure Covid-19 test, the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Center announced yesterday.

Yesterday’s announcement came as Macau is easing some of the world’s toughest anti-virus controls, following Beijing’s lead.

The center abruptly organized a press conference yesterday afternoon after suspending the media event for nearly a month.

With about 70% of Macau people having contracted SARS-CoV-2 within the past month, according to the center, and with most restrictions having been lifted, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Elsie Ao Ieong said the center will not end operations but will be retained for occasional outbreaks.

At the same time, SSM director Alvis Lo used the word endemic for the first time to describe Covid-19 in Macau.

Although no prior SSM approval is required for entrants, other legal immigration conditions, such as the need for a visa, remain in place. No person of any nationality will be subject to prior SSM approval before entering Macau.

At the same time, the transit service at the Macau International Airport will be reopened.

Health declarations and health management requirements will also be lifted from Sunday. Entrants will not be required to declare their health conditions and will not receive red or yellow health codes after entering Macau.

People entering from mainland China, Hong Kong or Taiwan will be not subject to a pre-departure Covid-19 test – neither a nucleic acid test (NAT) nor a rapid antigen test (RAT).

Those entering from outside these places will see more relaxed requirements. They will be allowed to present either NAT or RAT negative results obtained within 48 hours of their departure for Macau and this will only apply to the last leg of their trip should they be taking transits.

RATs can either be self-administered or administered by a certified medical facility or laboratory. The RAT results must be declared to, and presented through, the Macau health code platform.

The center added that the NAT or RAT results will be valid on the test or sample collection date and on the two days that follow.

Entrants from Hong Kong, Taiwan and other countries will need to present negative NAT results obtained within 48 hours if they travel to Zhuhai during the first seven days of their arrival in Macau.

Should they be travelling to other mainland cities, the validity of the NAT results will be subject to the requirements of the destination cities.

NAT results for traveling to mainland China can be presented either in paper form or in digital form on the Macau health code platform.

Health code conversion will still be required for travel between Macau and Zhuhai, the center added.

At the same press conference, Lo admitted that, by year-over-year comparison, December 2022 saw higher death counts than the same month in 2021. Last month, the city recorded over 600 deaths, the SSM director said. He said this figure is collective and includes all causes of death.

Then, he emphasized that it should not be thought that the horrendous situation is due to the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions. He said yearly comparison should be made to determine if the death rate has increased or not.

Responding to the Times about the use of antiviral medications for suitable groups of Covid-19 patients, Lo said the medication had been in place during the June 18 outbreak.

As to whether Macau would adopt Hong Kong’s practice, which permits private clinics and hospitals to acquire and prescribe the medication to suitable groups, the medical doctor said the use of SARS-CoV-2 antiviral medications has a lot of restrictions.

“Having the financial capability to access the medications does not equate to having the physical capability for them,” Lo said. He said the medication is still scarce, and is prescribed only where it is most needed. Scarcity was also his answer in regards to provisions for private medical facilities.

He was also asked if the medications had been used during the most recent outbreak and how effective they were, but no answer was given.

While the center maintains its stand in pushing vaccination, it was asked if the government would acquire a wider variety of vaccines. To this, Lo said the center would consider whether the types not currently provided in Macau have additional advantages to determine whether they will be introduced to Macau.

Hong Kong to start reopening China border Sunday

Hong Kong will start to reopen its border with mainland China Sunday and allow tens of thousands of people to cross from each side daily without quarantine, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee has said.

Yesterday, Macau announced changes to its Covid-19 restrictions, fully opening the border to foreign entrants.

Although travelers from mainland China have been freely entering Macau after providing negative nucleic acid tests, the reopening to Hong Kong for mainland travelers has long been awaited, as it is expected to provide a much-needed boost to Hong Kong’s economy.

The policy is expected to pave the way for economic restoration in the financial hub.

Yesterday’s announcement came as China has eased some of the world’s toughest anti-virus controls.

From Sunday, China will also gradually increase the number of flights between Hong Kong and the mainland and scrap the limit on passenger numbers for flights from the city, the Chinese government said in a statement.

“My personal inclination is, if factors permit, to allow a large number of people to go through because that has been the voice of a lot of people, both locally and overseas — wishing Hong Kong to proceed to normalcy as quickly as possible,” Chief Executive John Lee said at a press conference.

Under a quota system, up to 60,000 people can travel from Hong Kong to mainland China each day. The same cap is also imposed on the number of travelers entering the city from the north, he said.  MDT/AP