Macau visitor numbers plummet and travel visas suspended

The number of visitors to Macau from mainland China dropped by almost 80% year-on-year on Sunday.

Macau.- The number of visitors to Macau from mainland China dropped by almost 80% year-on-year on Sunday and those figures could drop even further with a travel ban no in force.

The Secretary for Administration and Justice, André Cheong Weng Chon, has confirmed that the Chinese central government has already stopped issuing individual travel visas for mainlanders wanting to visit Macau.

The measures do not affect Chinese who obtained visas prior to the suspension coming into force and they will still be allowed to enter the SAR. The only way Chinese nationals can apply for an Exit-Entry Permit for travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macau is if it is for a personal visit, family reunion, business, and other non-government purposes.

Other measures include the shutdown of railways to the city, while flights from and to the mainland will be cut by half and cross-border tour buses will also be reduced.

Macau’s Health Bureau confirmed a seventh case of the infection after a 67-year-old woman from Wuhan became feverish on Sunday.