The Macau government has shortened the mandatory quarantine period on arrivals from the neighbouring city of Hong Kong to 14 days from 21 days, effective from Saturday (March 20). That was announced by Macau’s Covid-19 task force, the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre, in a Friday press statement.
Macau extended in December the quarantine period on arrivals from Hong Kong to 21 days, due to rising Covid-19 cases in that city.
Hong Kong recorded eight new infections on Sunday, including four cases of local transmission, the lowest since March 6, according to that city’s health authorities.
The latest figures took the aggregate number of Covid-19 infections in Hong Kong to 11,379, with 203 related deaths.
Under the new rules, individuals who have not been outside Hong Kong within 14 days of their intended arrival in Macau, are required to undergo 14 days of quarantine in a designated hotel in Macau, followed by a so-called seven-day “self-health management” period.
People arriving to Macau from Hong Kong will still have to provide a certificate proving freedom from Covid-19 infection, and undergo further nucleic acid tests while in quarantine in the city.
Two separate brokerages suggested in recent notes that Macau gross gaming revenue recovery was likely to pick up pace in the second half this year. Possible catalysts included a likely relaxation of travel restrictions between Hong Kong and Macau, said the institutions.
Mainland China is currently the only place to have a largely quarantine-free travel bubble with Macau.
