Macau to ease controls with two cities in Guangdong province

A 14-day quarantine is no longer required for people coming from Shenzhen city and Maoming city in Guangdong.

Macau.- Macau is easing restrictions amid a decline in the number of new Covid-19 cases in some cities in mainland China’s Guangdong province.

People coming from Shenzhen city and Maoming city no longer need to undergo a 14-day quarantine. However, authorities warned Macau residents to avoid travelling to the cities of Guangzhou and Foshan, where Covid-19 cases remain high.

A week ago, Macau health authorities imposed a 14-day quarantine on people who had been in the districts of Haizhu, Liwan, Nansha, Panyu or Yuexiu in Guangzhou, or the Nanhai and Chancheng districts of Foshan.

Macau’s GGR during the second week of June was down 35 per cent month-on-month to MOP219m (US$27.3m). That compares to MOP1.35bn (US$169m) in the first week of June.

Macau’s Gross Gaming Revenue in May reached MOP10.45bn (US$1.31bn), fueled by the Labour Day break, when Macau’s Public Security Police reported that 165,500 tourists came to Macau.

However, according to Macau’s Public Security Police, between June 12 and June 14, only 40,400 tourists arrived in Macau.

Mainland China is the only country to have a largely quarantine-free travel bubble with Macau, and the majority of tourists who have come to the city in recent months are from Guangdong.

Although Covid-19 cases are descending, the countermeasures imposed at Macau’s casinos and other tourism venues will continue for now.

People who enter casinos must wear masks and have their temperature checked. They also have to present the Macao Health Code, the government document that classifies health status by colour: red, yellow, and green.

Macau expects to start a travel bubble with Hong Kong from July

If Covid-19 cases remain under control in Hong Kong, the long-awaited travel bubble between Hong Kong and Macau could be launched from July, according to Bernstein Research.

Hong Kong is one of the key outbound markets for Macau’s gaming industry as it provides 10 to 15 per cent of Macau’s annual casino gross gaming revenue (GGR).

Analysts said: “A travel bubble encompassing China/Hong Kong and Macau would be a key driver for growth.”

Bernstein has recently predicted Macau’s GGR for June will be down 30 per cent month-on-month to 72 per cent of 2019 levels.