Macau hopes to ease from September 1, the Covid-19 test validity period for people coming to the city on direct flights from mainland China. That is provided the Covid-19 situation in the city and in mainland China “continues to stabilise”, said Macau health official, Leong Iek Hou, in a Thursday media briefing giving an update on the city’s latest responses to Covid-19 developments.
Such easing would be from the stroke of midnight on September 1. From that time, people intending to enter Macau on a direct flight from mainland China will be required to hold a nucleic acid test certificate issued within seven days – instead of within 48 hours currently – proving they are ‘negative’ for Covid-19 infection, said Ms Leong.
The plan would still be subject to “changes in the global Covid-19” outlook, she stated, although she did not give specific details of factors that might affect the plan.
Mainland China is currently the only place that have a largely-quarantine free travel arrangement with Macau. But the mainland has seen a fresh wave of Covid-19 infections since late July, which has only gradually started to subside in recent days.
In other developments, the Macao Government Tourism Office said on Thursday that the day before, Macau recorded “over 21,000” tourist arrivals. The tourism bureau said that was about the daily level recorded prior to August 3, when a local family of four were confirmed as having been infected with the Delta variant of Covid-19.
The Macau government had – on August 9 – tightened to 48 hours, the validity period for the Covid-19 test certificate required of inbound travellers from neighbouring Guangdong province using land crossing points. With effect from the stroke of midnight on Wednesday (August 25) the test validity period for such travellers was eased to seven days.
