Mainland residents holding business, family visit or public service permits to Macau, as well as those entering Macau with mainland passports, will be allowed to undergo Covid-19 testing in Macau. News of the new arrangement was announced by Alvis Lo Iek Long, medical director of the Conde São Januário Hospital (CHCSJ), at the Health Bureau’s (SSM) daily press briefing yesterday.
Entrants should make bookings for the test on the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Center’s website. They will be charged MOP180 for each test they take and will not have their first test provided free of charge.
The number of people who can test in Macau is limited and Macau residents will be prioritized, Lo stated.
He also disclosed that the quotas for each time slot are not stationary. The authority actively monitors the popularity of each time slot and adjusts quotas to ensure those in need receive a test.
When asked whether the authority would expand coverage and test more people, Lo reiterated that the SSM has prioritized and will save the tests for high-risk groups of people, such as teachers and fishery workers.
“All newly hospitalized patients at the CHCSJ have to undergo the test,” Lo said. “Through this measure, we have tried to lower the risk of an internal outbreak.”
Some may have confused the expansion of the testing population with the lifting of certain travel restriction measures, the doctor noted. On this, Lo reminded the public to ensure that they fall within the population exempted from pandemic control measures in Zhuhai.
“If they don’t, they will still be required to undergo 14-day quarantine in Zhuhai,” Lo explained.
The criteria for exemption are the possession of a green code from the colored code health declaration, a negative Covid-19 test result, a Macau ID card and a Zhuhai or Zhongshan Residence Card.
“With that said, having a negative test result from Macau doesn’t equate to exemption from quarantine in Zhuhai,” Lo said. As such, members of the public should exercise caution.
Previously, authorities hinted at the termination of the centralized mask supply scheme. When asked whether other measures would also be lifted, Lo reiterated that the two are not related.
“Again, the mask scheme was to ensure the accessibility of crucial resources,” Lo said.
As for the continuation of the daily press briefing, Lo told the Times that the authority has not discussed the topic, so he could not answer the question.
12-year-old patient recovers
Another Covid-19 patient in the city has recovered and started a 14-day recovery quarantine period at the Public Health Clinical Center on Coloane Hilltop, Lo disclosed during the press briefing.
The 12-year-old boy left for Macau from the U.K., where he was studying, on March 19 and arrived in the city the following day.
Abiding with the then-quarantine measures, he was assigned to stay at the Grand Coloane Resort.
Two days later, as he developed a fever and cough, he was sent to CHCSJ for a medical check. He was later diagnosed with Covid-19.
He spent 52 days in the isolation ward and had his recovery confirmed by the medical team yesterday, with two negative viral tests conducted on May 10 and 12 respectively. As he was hospitalized at the Coloane facility, there was no transfer required.
There are two other patients being treated in the Public Health Clinical Center’s isolation ward. One is a 26-year-old Korean air stewardess with Air Macau, while the other is a 15-year-old local female student.
Due to privacy concerns, the authorities have not released additional information on their condition.
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