Macau drops quarantine measures, goes into lockdown

The Macau SAR is in a partial lockdown after an Executive Order stated that from today, no individuals – aside from Macau residents, non-resident workers of Macau, and travelers from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan – will be allowed to enter the region.

The recent measure was announced in a dispatch signed by Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng after the city recorded two new cases after 40 days of no Covid-19 cases. As of last night, 13 cases have been recorded in total.

Starting today, all non-residents – excluding residents of mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, as well as holders of non-resident worker cards in Macau – will be prohibited from entering the SAR.

This measure overrules an earlier restriction that took effect yesterday requiring that individuals arriving from all countries and regions in the world – except for the three aforementioned regions – must undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine.

The SAR has progressively issued quarantine measures targeting different countries during the pandemic outbreak. However, in this instance, it has decided to ban all entries to the SAR. The change represents an abandonment of the earlier quarantine method in favor of a complete ban.

According to the Executive Order, the health authorities have the power to exempt residents of countries and territories outside China from compliance with the new measure under certain circumstances. Such an exemption could be granted also with a view to ensure the proper operation of public services in the community and of meeting the community’s basic day-to-day needs.

The director of Macau’s Health Bureau, Lei Chin Ion, explained yesterday that the new measure was necessary to address the challenge posed by a potential hike in imported cases.

“It is our responsibility to protect and take care of the residents but it is not our responsibility to take care of the foreigners and this also been followed by other countries,” said Lei. “We have no capacity [to treat] so many people.”

Speaking to the Times, local sociologist Larry So noted that for Macau, the lockdown is inevitable.

Although, the global pandemic crisis is causing a psychological impact, So expressed the belief that the SAR is still fortunate that it is not experiencing a shortage in face masks and necessary items amid the lockdown.

“The lack of all these medical supplies – fortunately not in Macau but in places overseas – are causing a high level of anxiety,” he added.

“In the past two to three months, we have been under such situation where people are not coming to visit. I think it’s better to have a lockdown so we can clean ourselves up,” he added.

“Most countries are doing the same [procedure]. Even though you open Macau, tourists won’t be coming anyway. We are all aware of this [effect] on the economic situation,” So told the Times.

So additionally remarked that hopefully by next winter, everything will have resumed to normal operating conditions, adding that the continuous virus outbreak in other countries and the panic among people worldwide would make it challenging for many places to see a recovery by summer.

“The psychological impact is really very serious. People in Macau are kind of tired of locking themselves up and are kind of depressed,” said So.

The partial lockdown of the Macau SAR was set out in Executive Order No. 72/2020 published in yesterday’s Official Gazette.

It has been issued, in accordance with the Law on the Prevention, Control and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, in view of developments regarding the global spread of Covid-19 and in order to prevent infections being imported to Macau from overseas.