Macau plans to ease travel restrictions with Hong Kong

Macau authorities are reported to have plans to ease restrictions for travellers from Hong Kong as long as they comply with certain rules.

Macau.- The Macau government is reported to be planning to allow quarantine-free inbound travel to people coming from Hong Kong.

According to JP Morgan Securities, visitors could be allowed to enter casino resorts and hotels but will have to comply with stricter rules limiting their movements.

Since authorities reimposed Covid-19 countermeasures after a rise in Covid-19 cases in Guangdong, visitors will also have to present the Macao Health Code, the government document that classifies health status by colour: red, yellow, and green.

Holders whose Macao Health Code is red or yellow will be denied admission to casinos and other venues.

JP Morgan analysts said: “Our checks with some Macau hotels suggest the government sent out a notice a few days ago on a planned reopening of the border.”

For now, people coming from Hong Kong need to undergo a 14-day quarantine but a reopening scheme seems to be closer than ever although limited to fully vaccinated travellers.

The news would be welcomed by the tourism and gaming sectors as Hong Kong provides 10 to 15 per cent of Macau’s annual casino gross gaming revenue (GGR).

A week ago, Alvis Lo lek Long, Macau Health Bureau director, said a travel bubble between Hong Kong and Macau could only be contemplated once Hong Kong passed 28 days without a local Covid-19 case.

For now, mainland China is the only country to have a largely quarantine-free travel bubble with Macau.