Macau: new Covid-19 case detected on border with Zhuhai

Authorities say the discovery of the case will not slow down the process of resuming mainland Chinese tour packages and e-visas.

Macau.- Macau health authorities have detected a positive case of Covid-19 in a building in the Fai Chi Kei district of the Macau peninsula. Authorities have placed the building where the case was detected on “red zone” status.

Authorities conducted a routine test of 10 samples from people who were in Zhuhai, in the neighbouring Chinese province of Guangdong. Eight people tested positive, however, they all tested negative when they returned to Macau except for a 66-year-old woman.

According to Macau’s guidelines, those who reside in a building or area of interest, work nearby or have been in the surroundings for more than 30 minutes, must take a Covid-19 test for three consecutive days from the day an alert is given.

The city’s health department chief, Alvis Lo Iek Long, said the discovery of the new Covid-19 case won’t affect the city’s plans to gradually resume package tours from mainland China and the return of electronically-issued exit visas for Chinese residents, including the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) from November.

Liz Lam Tong Hou, a member of the Macau Government Tourism Office, said the office was working closely with the city’s tourism industry and was ready to welcome mainland tour groups in the near future.

Package tours are expected to resume in phases starting with Shanghai, Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang provinces. Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, director of the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) has said the Macau government has communicated with Chinese authorities on Covid-19 prevention measures to facilitate such a move