Macau gov’t considers reducing hotel quarantine to 10-7 days: Ho Iat Seng

Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng said today (Monday) that his cabinet is considering reducing the city’s compulsory Covid-19 quarantine for overseas travelers from the current 14 days to 10 – or even to seven days – this summer, with the extra seven days of self-observation still in place if the plan goes ahead.

Speaking on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of Coloane’s new Seac Pai Van Health and Social Services Building this morning, Ho stressed that the plan would only take place if China’s pandemic situation improves, depending also on the success rate of similar policies that have recently been put in place across some mainland Chinese cities.

According to Ho, four cities in mainland China have since May already implemented the “10+7” epidemic prevention measures – 10 days of medical observation at a quarantine-designated hotel, followed by seven days of self-isolation at home.

While Macau shall strive for the same measure, the chief executive did not rule out a “7+7” arrangement in the SAR upon China’s evaluation, anticipating meeting the target this summer.

Unconfirmed reports in Hong Kong hinted that Macau and Hong Kong will reopen their common border in August, but Ho couldn’t confirm such information, telling the reporters he had not been notified of “relevant news.” A border resumption would require coordination between health and public security departments of both SARs and the mainland, and thus, he said, would not be up to his decision.

In Beijing, diners returned to restaurants in most of the capital for the first time in more than a month today as authorities further eased pandemic-related restrictions after largely eradicating a small outbreak in the city under China’s strict “zero-Covid” approach.

MDT/Agencies

(Developing story)