Macau residents who are not of Chinese nationality will not be able to enjoy the lifting of quarantine requirement by Zhuhai for the time being, the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Center clarified yesterday.
Mainland authorities have temporarily suspended visas for foreigners. As per information obtained by the Times, the mainland has canceled existing visas for foreign travelers.
“It implies that foreigners are virtually unable to enter mainland China,” Dr Leong Iek Hou, coordinator at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), pointed out.
She added that Macau ID holders should carefully choose between the identification documents that they will use on their return to Macau, as foreigners are banned presently from entering the city.
The Coronavirus Center also made clarifications when questioned about the quarantine requirement for Hong Kong or Taiwan residents currently staying in Guangdong Province.
The CDC coordinator pointed out that if the concerned population wants to enter Macau as non-resident workers, they will not be allowed to do so, pursuant to the Executive Order 40/2020.
If they want to do so, they will need to undergo monitored quarantine at the designated location in Zhuhai.
Hong Kong and Taiwan residents will not enjoy the new quarantine waiver when entering Zhuhai for the time being. In addition, the medical doctor stressed that the current quarantine waiver only applies to Macau and Guangdong residents.
As for the types of non-resident workers allowed to enter Macau, the Center pointed out that only Zhuhai residents, holders of the Zhuhai Residence Card and people who are certified by the Zhuhai government as regularly residing in Zhuhai may do so. Non-resident workers from other places are temporarily barred from entering Macau.
The Center reiterated that anybody from the Guangdong province will not be quarantined upon arrival in Macau, although they will need to have a valid travel permit issued by related mainland authorities.
For the time being, Guangdong residents can only travel to Macau with permits other than the Individual Visitor Scheme (IVS), which was halted by the Central Government in the early phase of the Covid-19 outbreak.
When Guangdong residents conclude their errands in Macau and return to their home cities, they will not face quarantine.
The Coronavirus Center, however, stressed that at all border crossings, a negative Covid-19 test result obtained within the preceding seven days and the Green Health Code from Macau and Guangdong will be required.
Despite there being no update on the resumption of the IVS at yesterday’s press conference, the Coronavirus Center admitted that the expansion of the Covid-19 test is a preparation for the future increase of border crossings from either direction.
“This new policy is crucial,” Dr Alvis Lo, medical director of the public Conde São Januário Hospital, declared. “If it won’t cause a [rapid rise] in infections or an obstruction to virus containment in Macau and Guangdong, I believe further recovery will be gradually rolled out.”
No Comments