A Covid-19 patient who traveled back and forth between Zhuhai and Macau has admitted to conducting parallel trading, Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak disclosed yesterday.
According to government announcements, the female mainland resident regularly travelled between Zhuhai and Macau during the period February 22 to 27. Wong confirmed that she was on travel endorsement on the basis that she was visiting relatives.
As punishment, the woman will be banned from entering Macau for a year.
Parallel trading is a form of smuggling goods using a large number of people who are not necessarily connected. Goods transported are usually consumables, luxury goods or daily necessities.
Wong stressed that the police did not find her proclaimed purpose of visiting relatives convincing. He described the punishment as “relatively heavy.” More work on interrupting parallel trading will be done, the official added.
He also admitted that the Covid-19 pandemic, which has brought on an economic downturn, has escalated the practice of parallel trading, from which “traders” can get an attractive sum of money.
The type of “traders” more difficult to block is those who legitimately travel frequently between mainland and Macau, such as commuters, because the law prohibits apprehension based on the mere frequency of border-crossing.
Another challenge, according to Wong, is that the issuance of travel endorsements is within the authority of mainland China.
With the announcement that a Covid-19 patient in Zhuhai’s Tanzhou District was a regular traveler to Macau, it was revealed that at least 8,000 people would be affected by additional disease-control measures.
Over 5,400 test
negative for Covid-19
As of 12 p.m. yesterday, all 5,473 Covid-19 test results obtained in Macau were returned negative.
After the detection the Covid-19 case in Tanzhou, Macau authorities carried out mandatory nucleic acid testing for those who live or work in key areas near Portas do Cerco.
Individuals who have left or entered Macau more than four times on any of the days – February 25, 26 and 27 must perform a nucleic acid test every 24 hours between 6 p.m. on March 1 and 6 p.m. on March 4, for a total of three tests.
Also, individuals who may have had a common path with the Tanzhou case need to declare the coincident path and must also perform a test of nucleic acid every 24 hours between 6 p.m. on March 1 and 6 p.m. on March 4, for a total of three tests.
As of 12 p.m. yesterday, a total of 30,503 tests had been carried out at other nucleic acid test stations. Persons living or working in the areas targeted for testing who do not undergo the nucleic acid test within the specified time will see their health code turn yellow.
