Quarantine measures to slightly loosen on foreign entrants

Non-mainland entrants will have three days on a yellow health code after five days of mandatory quarantine upon entry to Macau, pulmonologist Alvis Lo, director at the Health Bureau (SSM), told a press conference this afternoon.

The doctor did not name a specific date for the change to be implemented.

During the five days of mandatory quarantine, entrants will have red health codes. During the following three days, their health codes will be yellow, indicating that they will be allowed to go to work, according to a previous announcement by the SSM.

On the last day of the yellow-code period, being the eighth day after entry, they will be required to undertake a SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid test (NAT). Once they receive a negative result, their health code will convert to green.

Once the measure is in place, entrants from mainland China will no longer be required to take a NAT or SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen test (RAT) upon entering Macau.

In order to facilitate entry, however, those entering from Zhuhai will be required to show a negative NAT results obtained within the preceding 24-hours, while those entering from elsewhere on the mainland will be required to show a negative NAT result obtained within the previous 48-hours.

The SSM director also announced that, according to the new guidelines to be put into place, only the apartment unit with a Covid-19 resident will be identified as red-code zone. In the case that 10% or more of a building has Covid-positive residents, the building will be identified as a yellow zone.

Should no new infections be detected in the next five days, the building’s green code status will be reinstated.

Meanwhile, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Elsie Ao Ieong says that the government estimates that between 50% and 80% of the population will eventually contract the virus.