The Macau government has raised the validity of the negative COVID-19 nucleic acid test (NAT) result for all air passengers from the mainland back to seven days from just 48 hours.

According to a statement by the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre last night, the measure took effect at 1 a.m. today.

The National Health Commission (NHC) said a few days ago that the current COVID-19 wave in the mainland affecting various provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities had started to ease.

The Macau government tightened the validity of the negative COVID-19 NAT result for all air passengers from the mainland from seven days to just 48 hours late last month in response to the commencement of transmissions of local Delta variant cases spreading to various provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities earlier the same month.

In general, air passengers from the mainland do not need to quarantine upon their arrival in Macau, except those arriving from certain areas affected by a local COVID-19 epidemic, who are required to undergo 14 days of hotel quarantine upon their arrival here.

Last night’s statement noted that non-local air passengers from the mainland failing to present the required NAT certificate will be barred from entering Macau.

The negative NAT result for those entering Macau from Guangdong – i.e., from Zhuhai via land border checkpoints and from Shenzhen by ferry – has always remained unchanged at seven days.

NAT validity for air & ferry departures back to 7 days

Meanwhile, last night’s statement also announced that from 1 a.m. today all those departing from Macau by air must present an NAT certificate confirming a negative COVID-19 result valid for seven days, a change from the 48-hour-validty requirement which had been in force until last night.

From yesterday all those departing from Macau by ferry must present a NAT certificate confirming a negative COVID-19 result valid for seven days, a change from the 48-hour-validty requirement which had been in force until Monday, according to a statement by the centre on Monday.

The Macau government tightened the validity of the negative NAT result for air and ferry departures to 48 hours from the previous seven days on September 25 after the detection of a quarantine hotel security staff cluster. The NAT validity for air and ferry departures was further tightened to just 24 hours on October 6 after the detection of a renovation worker cluster, before it was relaxed to 48 hours on October 19.

The Zhuhai health authorities imposed 14-day mandatory quarantine for arrivals from Macau in late September in the wake of the quarantine hotel security staff cluster here, before lifting the quarantine requirement on October 19. From then on those entering Zhuhai from Macau had had to present a NAT certificate confirming a negative COVID-19 result valid for 48 hours, before the Zhuhai health authorities raised the NAT validity back to seven days yesterday. 

A medical worker takes a swab sample from a boy for a nucleic acid test (NAT) at a sampling site in Dalian city in Liaoning province last week. Photo: Xinhua