GGRAsia – More overseas visitors allowed to enter Macau from Sept 1

More overseas visitors allowed to enter Macau from Sept 1

Aug 31, 2022 Newsdesk Latest News, Macau, Top of the deck

The Macau government announced on Tuesday that nationals from a total of 41 countries will be allowed to enter Macau, starting from September 1. All travellers will still have to undergo seven days of hotel quarantine, said the local authorities.

Nationals from Portugal were already allowed to enter the city as visitors subject to a quarantine period, and the expanded list now covers countries such as Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Australia, and the United States. Macau’s borders have been closed to most foreign nationals since early 2020.

Such people will be allowed entry without prior authorisation from the Macau health authorities, said the statement. The Health Bureau also said that holders of valid passports from the list of 41 countries “may enter Macau from countries and regions other than Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland China.”

People arriving from overseas would still need to do a seven-day quarantine at a dedicated venue before being allowed into the community. They must on arrival test ‘negative’ for Covid-19 to qualify for quarantine, otherwise they would go into isolation in a medical facility.

After the quarantine period, inbound travellers will need to do three days of so-called “self-management” of their health, and keep watch for any Covid-like symptoms.

Nationals coming from countries or regions not included on the list that was announced on Tuesday, will be allowed entry if they meet certain requirements from the city’s authorities, including being a relative of a Macau resident or holding a work permit issued by the local authorities. These people would still have to apply for an entry exemption from the Macau authorities.

Also on Tuesday, the Macau government said it would ease, from September 1, entry requirements for travellers from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. It said that residents of those places would – even if they have visited foreign countries or regions anywhere in the world immediately prior to their intended entry to Macau – still be allowed to come.

The fresh measure is a relaxation from the current arrangement that states that people from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan would have to be in their place of residence in the prior 14 days before their intended travel to Macau in order to be allowed in.