Police say Border Gate normal as thousands get ahead of quarantine enforcement

A reader-submitted photo of workers arriving in Macau via the Border Gate

Operations at Border Gate yesterday were conducted normally and without overcrowding issues, according to the police, with slightly above 20,000 crossings by foreign workers recorded as of 4 p.m. There was no crowd gathered at the immigration hall, in contrast to a video that went viral online, the Public Security Police Force (PSP) clarified.
The video depicted thousands of people crowding at the entrance of the Gongbei Border Control Building, trying to rush into the building to enter Macau. It went viral a day after the Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR) government issued a new order to tighten controls on foreign workers entering from the mainland.
The PSP, which handles border control in Macau, expressly responded to the video clip at yesterday’s daily press briefing held by the Novel Coronavirus Coordination and Response Center.
Ma Chio Hong, Chief of the PSP’s Operation and Communication Division, told the press conference, “It is crucial for us to clarify that the flow at the Border Gate was smooth [yesterday]. No crowd packed the border control hall.”
The police officer reminded the general public of the real-time video monitoring system available on the law enforcement authority’s e-platforms. “Our real-time information platform, which is available on our website and mobile app, provides the general public with the latest conditions of our border control halls,” Ma said.
“The general public is also reminded not to believe unverified information,” Ma added. He advised members of the public to rely on the government for reliable information. “Indeed, latest updates on epidemic control are announced on the Center’s website from time to time,” Ma said.
At the same time, other videos showed that a significant number of people were walking in the vicinity of the Border Gate, with suitcases in hand. Ma said the PSP was aware of the situation. He believed it was caused by the introduction of the new measure that requires foreign workers entering Macau from the mainland to undergo a 14-day quarantine. The measure takes effect from today.
When the government announced the new measure on Monday, it was also questioned about the “window period” that may attract more foreign workers than normal.
Some 21,000 non-resident workers from mainland entered Macau on Monday, followed by about 20,000 in the first 16 hours of yesterday.
Commenting on the growth in hour-by-hour comparisons, Lei Wai Seng, Medical Director at the S. Januário Hospital, stressed that in the long run the new measure will be beneficial to Macau’s epidemic control.
“The foreign workers who came in before the new measure takes effect should be considered healthy population,” Lei said. Currently, facilities are in place at the border checkpoint to monitor body temperature of incoming people, besides the requirement of the health declaration. “If they feel unwell when they’re in Macau, they should visit either hospital for treatment,” Lei added.
“The measure is in place to discourage foreign workers from frequently crossing the border,” Lei explained to the media.
If concerned foreign workers cannot be quarantined in Zhuhai and thus need to do so in Macau, they will be housed by the Pousada Marina Infante, the Health Bureau designated quarantine facility. The foreign workers will have to bear their own costs, which is MOP8,750 to be paid directly to the hotel when they finish quarantine, according to Leong Iek Hou, a coordinator at the Health Bureau.
The panel at yesterday’s press conference also disclosed the quantity of face masks sold during the first two sale phases of the government’s controlled distribution program. Nearly 5 million and 5.66 million masks were sold respectively in the first two phases. The Health Bureau emphasized that sourcing masks has become increasingly difficult, and so residents should avoid complaining about the style of facemasks.
However, senior residents can approach health centers for an exchange if they were distributed masks with hand-tied straps, which may be difficult for them to reliably use.