Macau eases border measures with Guangdong

Visitors from Guangdong can enter Macau displaying a nucleic acid test issued in the previous 48 hours.

Macau.- Authorities have announced an extension for the validity of negative Covid-19 tests for visitors from Guangdong province to 48 hours. It has been shortened to 12 hours after four local cases were detected the last week. The measure covers direct inbound and outbound land trips.

Authorities in Macau recently carried out mass testing for Covid-19 in which 716,251 people were tested, all of them returning negative results.

Andy Wu Keng Kuong, president of Macau Travel Industry Council, said the city now expects an average hotel occupancy rate of less than 50 per cent for August.

He said: “We hope that the local Covid-19 situation can be controlled within 14 days so that hospitality businesses here can gradually pick up starting from late August.”

Macau’s Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) declined by 48 per cent in the first week of August.

Casinos workers concerned about unpaid-leave arrangements

Cloee Chao Sao Fong, a casino labour activist who was going to be a candidate for the upcoming Legislative Assembly election on September 12, said at least two of Macau’s six gaming operators had pushed for unpaid leave in July. 

Sao Fong said: “Unpaid leave arrangement is inevitable for gaming workers. We just hope… that Macau could recover soon and the unpaid leave arrangement would not last too long, as it really burdens the financial situation of the workers.”