Macau CE says economic recovery depends on vaccine

The chief executive of the SAR, Ho Iat Seng, says a vaccine is vital to the recovery of the economy.

Macau.- Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng has said that recovery of the economy, tourism and employment in the SAR will only be possible with a vaccine for Covid-19. He stressed that it is vital that once a vaccine is approved, every citizen promises to receive it.

“If everyone gets the vaccine, we can see our way out, that is, there will be an economic recovery”, said Ho Iat Seng after legislators raised questions on the government’s plan to tackle unemployment in 2021.

According to the official, if a vaccine is approved by the Chinese state, it will be possible to “remove the masks and allow all tourists from all over the world to travel to Macau … But only if the entire population undergoes the vaccine.”

The Macau Government has forecast that GDP will fall by 60.9 per cent this year. The city has been severely hit by the pandemic considering its dependence on tourism. While in 2019, Macau received around 40 million visitors, from January to September this year it received approximately four million.

However, authorities have said that if the “situation of the epidemic in Macao and neighbouring regions remains controlled and improved, GDP may reach double-digit annual growth” in 2021.