Authorities in Zhuhai said Wednesday that the city will retain mandatory hotel quarantine measures for anyone entering from Macau but will not require the SAR to reach 14 days without any new cases.
They will also take into account whether there are new cases in Macau in the coming days, the results of its third mass testing blitz, the testing of close contacts and secondary contacts of confirmed cases and more before border restrictions can be eased.
The border between Macau and Zhuhai was effectively shut on 26 September after security guards at a quarantine hotel tested positive to COVID-19, while another four new cases detected among a group of non-resident construction workers this week has seen those border measures extended. It has since been revealed that the security guards and construction workers are linked via a recent bus trip.
The imposition of quarantine measures over the past two weeks has been a huge blow for Macau’s gaming and tourism operators, who have seen just 7,243 visitor arrivals into the SAR over the first 5 days of Golden Week, including a low of only 669 on Tuesday.
However, in better news, the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Center announced that the latest testing blitz was almost complete with no more positive results detected.
A total of 673,881 tests have been conducted since 9pm Monday with the 540,813 results to have been confirmed all coming back negative.
The original 48-hour testing period has now been extended until 9pm Thursday with nine testing points – six free and three paid – available for those who have not yet been tested.
Anyone who has not been tested and returned a negative result will see their health code turn yellow and be prevented from entering public locations, using public transport or leaving Macau.
The Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) also said Thursday that it had intensified the supervision of epidemic prevention works in all casinos in Macau, urging gaming concessionaires and sub-concessionaires to strictly follow prevention guidelines and implement various preventive measures to guarantee the health and safety of their employees and customers.
The regulator held a meeting with the city’s gaming concessionaires in order to ensure implementation of more effective prevention measures, primarily around cleaning and disinfection work at their facilities.
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