Zhuhai will lift today its 14-day mandatory quarantine requirement for arrivals from Macau, which was imposed about three weeks ago.

According to a statement by the Zhuhai health authorities quoted by the Macau Government Information Bureau (GCS) yesterday morning, the measure will take effect at noon today.

Under the measure, those entering Zhuhai from Macau must present a nucleic acid test (NAT) certificate confirming a negative COVID-19 result valid for 48 hours.

According to the statement, those who have been in close contact with confirmed COVID-19 patients can only enter Zhuhai from Macau at least seven days after completing their medical observation quarantine. Those living in red code zones or yellow code zones can only enter Zhuhai at least seven days after the respective lockdowns or COVID-19 restrictions are lifted. In addition, according to the statement, those working in jobs that are potentially subject to a high COVID-19 risk can only enter Zhuhai at least 14 days after no longer performing such duties.

The statement also noted that the current COVID-19 border measures for those entering Macau from Zhuhai will remain unchanged, i.e., they merely have to present a NAT certificate confirming a negative COVID-19 result valid for seven days, without having to quarantine upon their arrival in Macau.

The Zhuhai government imposed 14-day hotel quarantine for arrivals from Macau on September 26 after the confirmation of the first two patients of a six-member COVID-19 cluster of quarantine hotel security staff the day before.

People queue outside the Kiang Wu Hospital COVID-19 testing station, one of the city’s regular nucleic acid testing (NAT) stations, last night. Photo: Rui Pastorin

The Zhuhai government suspended its plan to lift its 14-day hotel quarantine requirement for arrivals from Macau, which was originally scheduled to begin on October 4, after the confirmation of the first patient of a six-member COVID-19 renovation worker cluster earlier that day.

The Zhuhai government’s previous plan to lift its quarantine requirement for arrivals from Macau on October 4 would have required travellers to have received at least one COVID-19 jab for them to be exempted from its quarantine requirement. The quarantine lifting that begins today does not require travellers to be inoculated against COVID-19.

Tens of thousands of local residents and non-resident workers live in Zhuhai so prior to the mandatory quarantine rule that began on September 26 they regularly commuted between the two cities.

Due to the 14-day quarantine requirement imposed by Zhuhai, many of the commuters have been staying at local hotels, inns, government-provided shelters, or employer-provided accommodation.

After yesterday morning’s announcement of Zhuhai’s quarantine lifting, scores of people began queueing outside Macau’s regular NAT stations for a COVID-19 test, which costs 70 patacas.

Macau now has seven regular NAT stations after a new testing station located in the Qingmao border checkpoint in Ilha Verde came into service on Saturday. The other six regular NAT stations are located at the Taipa Ferry Terminal in Pac On, the Macau Forum complex in Zape, the private Kiang Wu Hospital, the University Hospital run by the private Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST), the Workers Stadium next to the Barrier Gate border checkpoint, and the Macau-side checkpoint zone of the mainland-Macau joint border checkpoint in Zhuhai’s Hengqin Island.

The Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre announced in a statement yesterday morning that in response to the Zhuhai government’s lifting of its quarantine requirement for arrivals from Macau, three temporary NAT stations were running from 12 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. yesterday, namely the Tap Seac Multisport Pavilion, the Macau Cultural Centre (CCM) in Nape, and another section of the Workers Stadium.

The measure that was in force yesterday meant that residents could choose to book a paid COVID-19 test at one of the seven regular NAT stations or one of the three temporary stations.

Normally, i.e., before Macau’s latest COVID-19 wave which began late last month, the negative COVID-19 nucleic acid test (NAT) result for those travelling between Macau and Zhuhai without having to undergo quarantine was valid for seven days.

Possible extension of NAT validity to 7 days for jabbed people

During yesterday evening’s press conference by the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre, Tai Wa Hou, a clinical director of the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre, underlined that if any positive COVID-19 case is detected in the community in Macau, the Zhuhai government’s lifting of its quarantine requirement for arrivals from Macau would surely be suspended again.

Tai underlined that Zhuhai can only allow travellers to enter the adjacent city from Macau without having to quarantine after Macau has had no local COVID-19 case for at least 14 consecutive days, which he said can confirm that Macau’s community is safe from the novel coronavirus.

The first three patients of the six-member COVID-19 renovation worker cluster were diagnosed with the disease on October 4, while the fourth patient of the cluster was confirmed as having been infected with COVID-19 the next day. Macau’s latest two COVID-19 patients, the last two patients of the cluster, were diagnosed with the disease on October 9. The Health Bureau has concluded that the latest two COVID-19 patients, Macau’s 76^th and 77^th cases, posed no COVID-19 risk to the community as they had already been taken into quarantine before they tested positive for the novel coronavirus. In addition, both tested negative for COVID-19 in several tests during their quarantine period before finally testing positive for the novel coronavirus.

Tai pointed out that according to its now defunct plan to lift its mandatory quarantine requirement, the Zhuhai government would have required those arriving from Macau to have received at least one COVID-19 jab because the 14-day COVID-19 incubation period was still on in Macau.

Tai also said that the Macau government was discussing with its Zhuhai counterpart the possible implementation of a measure to lengthen the validity of the negative NAT result for arrivals from Macau who have been inoculated against COVID-19 from 48 hours to seven days.

All results from ‘key-area’ NAT drive negative

Meanwhile, the centre announced yesterday morning that all results of COVID-19 tests from Sunday’s NAT drive for those living near the city’s red code zones (COVID-19 lockdown areas) were negative.

The one-day drive, officially known as “key-area” nucleic acid testing programme, ended at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday.

According to the centre, 56,130 people had their swabs taken under the “key area” NAT drive. In addition, a total of 24,322 people from other “important” groups of people, such as those participating in the ongoing “high-frequency” testing programme for five “high-risk” target groups and those living in the city’s red code zones and yellow code zones that had remained in force as of Sunday, also had their COVID-19 swabs taken on Sunday, the centre said, adding that the results of all the 80,452 tests taken on Sunday were negative.

Minimum age for Sinopharm jabs lowered to 12

Meanwhile, the Macau government lowered the minimum age for the administration of inactivated COVID-19 vaccines to 12 years from yesterday.

Previously, Macau’s minimum age for inactivated vaccines stood at 18.

According to an executive order by Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng published in yesterday’s Official Gazette (BO), people aged between 12 and 59 are allowed to be inoculated with inactivated vaccines. Those aged 60 or over are permitted to be inoculated with this kind of vaccine if their health is good and they are facing an increased risk of COVID-19 infection.

China’s Sinopharm is currently the only inactivated novel coronavirus vaccine available in Macau.

According to the executive order, mRNA vaccines are permitted for people aged 12 or over – as previously. 

Germany’s BioNTech is currently the only mRNA vaccine available in Macau.

Both types of COVID-19 vaccines currently available in Macau, Sinopharm and BioNTech, require two jabs for people to develop immunity.

During yesterday’s press conference, Tai said that the government expects the lowering of the minimum age for Sinopharm inactivated vaccines from 18 to 12 to be able to boost COVID-19 vaccinations amongst teenagers.