Guangdong carries out mass testing for Covid-19

Authorities in Macau have announced that the neighbouring province of Guangdong has started to conduct mass testing due to a new outbreak of Covid-19 cases in the city of Zhuhai.

China.- Macau’s neighbouring city of Zhuhai in Guangdong province has began mass testing for Covid-19. The testing covers multiple locations, including the border-crossing point Gongbei, the most common way for mainland tourists to enter Macau.

The city of Tanzhou also reported a Covid-19 case on Monday morning. The news led to the suspension of several public transport systems that linked the cities of Tanzhou and Zhuhai. Authorities in Tanzhou have ordered mass testing for Covid-19 across the city and immediately restricted foreign travel.

The Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) reported that Macau received 694,430 tourists in January, down 15.4 per cent month-on-month due to a new outbreak of Covid-19 cases in the region. Macau received 642,016 tourists from mainland China, an increase of 29.4 per cent year-on-year. Mainland China remains the only country with a largely quarantine-free travel bubble with Macau.

New Covid-19 cases in Hong Kong could have negative impact on Macau

Macau’s economic recovery could be delayed by a new outbreak of Covid-19 cases in Hong Kong. According to Andrew Lee, an analyst at brokerage Jefferies Hong Kong Ltd, a rise in Covid-19 cases is “likely to get worse” and could delay the expansion of quarantine-free travel in the region, negatively affecting Macau’s gaming industry.