Macau to reopen borders to 41 countries
Travellers will have to undergo seven days of hotel quarantine.
Macau.- The government of Macau has announced that it will allow entry for people from 41 countries without prior authorisation from September 1. The list includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Australia, and the United States. Until now only people coming from Portugal and mainland china have been able to visit as tourists.
Visitors will still need to complete a seven-day quarantine in a designated hotel before entering the community. They must test negative for Covid-19 on arrival to be eligible for quarantine, otherwise they will be placed in a medical facility.
After the quarantine period ends, visitors must conduct “self-management” of their health for three days and watch for Covid-19-like symptoms. Nationals from non-listed countries or regions may enter if they meet certain requirements, such as being relatives of Macau residents or holding a work permit. They must apply to the Macau authorities for an entry exemption.
Entry requirements for travellers from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan will also be eased. Such visitors will be allowed to enter Macau even if they visited other countries or regions immediately before their entry.
The new measures should greatly benefit the gaming and tourism industry, which was heavily affected by the latest outbreak of Covid-19 cases. In July, the city recorded its lowest GGR figure on record.
The Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) reported that only 9,759 tourists arrived in Macau in July. The figure was down 97.4 per cent month-on-month and 98.8 per cent year-on-year. For the first seven months of 2022, visitor arrivals were down by 26.3 per cent year-on-year to 3,474,866. The tally of same-day visitors, at 2.18 million, and overnight visitors, at 1.29 million fell by 2.6 per cent and 47.9 per cent respectively.
Macau’s unemployment rate rose to 5.4% in May-July 2022
The DSEC has reported that Macau’s general unemployment rate and the unemployment rate of residents increased to 4.1 per cent and 5.4 per cent respectively in May-July 2022 when compared with April – June 2022. The underemployment rate rose by 9.3 percentage points to 13.4 per cent.
Macau’s total labour force stands at 377,000. The labour force participation rate was 68.2 per cent. Employment totalled 361,300 and employed residents 274,000, down by 2,900 and 1,500 respectively from the previous period.
The number of unemployed increased by 1,700 from the previous period to 15,600. Most of those looking for work were previously employed in the Gaming & Junket Activities and Construction sectors.
