Elsie Ao Ieong: Macau cannot remain closed to the world

Macau’s secretary for social affairs and culture said the city will see a gradual opening up.

Macau.- Elsie Ao Ieong U, Macau’s secretary for social agfairs and culture said the city will undergo a ‘gradual opening up’ to emerge from China’s Zero-Covid policy. For nearly three years, Macau has been effectively closed to visitors other than from China.

Speaking to the media, Ao Ieong said: “At this moment, the community is going to face the outbreak, and we will have an increase in the number of cases in the city. We have to prepare ourselves for these positive cases to appear in the community.”

She said it was impossible for Macau to remain shut to the outside world and stressed. Nevertheless, she sounded a note of caution, noting that future measures must not allow a widespread outbreak to occur. She said authorities hoped that the citizens could understand the characteristics of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Macau has reduced the interval between mandatory Covid-19 nucleic acid tests and rapid antigen tests for frontline casino staff from every four days to every two. The measure applies to table dealers, security guards and cleaners.

Macau currently requires all entrants from low-risk areas in China to provide a negative nucleic acid test result and a rapid antigen test within 24 hours of entry. In the first five days after arriving, they must take four nucleic acid tests daily as well as five rapid antigen tests daily.