A senior Macau health official said at a Thursday afternoon briefing that what she termed “risk” status had been “lifted” regarding the possibility of community spread of Covid-19 in the city, after a mass-testing exercise (pictured, file photo) on Tuesday and Wednesday had returned all ‘negative’ results.
On Wednesday, the same official, Leong Iek Hou, had mentioned one of the reasons the authorities were persisting with further testing steps, was to ensure Macau was “safe” for tourists from mainland China.
That is amid hopes of a ramp up in individual travellers and groups, after mainland China officials flagged the return of electronic applications for travel to Macau, and for group visits.
The inhabitants of Macau are due another round of mass testing on Friday and Saturday. They have also been doing self-screening at home via rapid antigen test kits.
The moves were as a result of a recent number of cases among Macau people.
The Health Bureau’s Ms Leong mentioned during Thursday’s media briefing by the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre, that the local authorities would monitor the result of the second mass test, and then decide if any prevention measures require adjustment.
Currently to cross the Macau border with Zhuhai, a Covid-19 test certificate with 24-hour validity is required. That measure is due to expire at the end of Friday (November 4).
The Covid-19 test rule for travellers departing for mainland China from Macau via flight or vessel had also been adjusted earlier this week.
With effect from 12pm on November 2, such travellers have to provide a proof of ‘negative’ test result within 24 hours following the date of sampling, according to Macau’s Health Bureau. This travel rule adjustment was in order to ensure nobody in Macau inadvertently carried the Covid-19 virus into the mainland, Ms Leong mentioned in the Thursday briefing.
