The Macau Health Bureau (SSM) has rolled out special entry, quarantine and testing measures after two people in Macau were identified yesterday afternoon as close contacts of a confirmed COVID-19 patient in Zhongshan city, which include tightening the validity of the negative nucleic acid test (NAT) result for those entering Macau from Guangdong to just 48 hours from seven days, which takes effect today.

The Health Bureau last night identified one more close contact of the Zhongshan COVID-19 patient.

The validity of the negative COVID-19 NAT result for those entering Guangdong from Macau remains unchanged at seven days.

The Zhongshan health authorities confirmed a new COVID-19 case yesterday morning, a 24-year-old woman who lives and works in Tanzhou (坦洲) town in Zhongshan city.

According to yesterday’s announcement by the Zhongshan health authorities, the woman sought treatment at a hospital in Tanzhou on Wednesday after coming down with a fever. She tested positive for the novel coronavirus in the early hours of yesterday.

According to yesterday’s announcement by the Zhongshan authorities, the woman lives in Phase 1 of the International Blossom Palace (錦繡國際花城) residential neighbourhood in Tanzhou.

While Tanzhou town is in Zhongshan city, it neighbours Zhuhai and only lies some 10 kilometres northwest of Macau.

The two COVID-19 close contacts announced yesterday afternoon are a 45-year-old male non-resident worker from the mainland who works in a nursing home in Areia Preta district, and a 59-year-old local woman who works in a crèche in Taipa. Both tested negative for COVID-19 yesterday, and have been transferred to the Health Bureau’s Public Health Clinical Centre in Coloane for quarantine.

The COVID-19 close contact announced last night is a 40-year-old male construction worker from the mainland. He was staying in Tanzhou last night.

In addition, those who have visited a residential neighbourhood in Tanzhou – where the 24-year-old woman lives, including those who had already entered Macau, must undergo hotel quarantine for up to 14 days from the day they left there.

Health Bureau Director Alvis Lo Iek Long announced the various special measures during yesterday’s regular press conference by the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre.

2 COVID-19 close contacts in Macau

A statement by the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre yesterday afternoon said that the Guangdong health authorities told their Macau counterparts that two people in Macau had been in contact with the woman who was confirmed as a COVID-19 patient yesterday morning. According to the statement, the 45-year-old man works in the “Sol Nascente” (“Rising Sun”) Nursing Home (明暉護養院) in Areia Preta, while the 59-year-old woman works in Taipa Fong Chong Crèche (氹仔坊眾托兒所).

According to the statement, both attended a banquet in Tanzhou on Sunday, which was also attended by the Zhongshan COVID-19 patient. Consequently, both have been classified as close contacts of a confirmed COVID-19 patient. After returning to Macau on Sunday night, both worked on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

According to the statement, “secondary” COVID-19 close contacts in Taipa Fong Chong Crèche have been transferred to one of the government’s “quarantine hotels” for medical observation, while the Health Bureau has arranged for “secondary” close contacts at the “Sol Nascente” Nursing Home to stay there for their quarantine.

“A close contact of a close contact” of a confirmed COVID-19 patient is known as a “secondary COVID-19 close contact”.

During yesterday evening’s press conference, Leong Iek Hou, who heads the Communicable Disease Prevention and Control Division of the Health Bureau, said that 38 children from Taipa Fong Chong Crèche and 43 colleagues of the 59-year-old woman have been transferred to hotel quarantine. Each of the children is accompanied by a parent in their hotel quarantine. A total of 145 people at the “Sol Nascente” Nursing Home – staff members and senior citizens living there – are now undergoing quarantine there, Leong said.

According to Leong, the 45-year-old man normally lives (before being taken to quarantine yesterday) in Block 3 of Son Lei Building (順利樓) in Iao Hon district, while the 59-year-old woman normally lives (before being taken to quarantine yesterday) in Block 5 of the Lago (“Lake”) public housing estate (湖畔大廈) in Taipa. Those living with either of the two are also required to undergo quarantine. Both have told health officials that they walked to work every day, Leong said.

Construction worker also attends Tanzhou banquet

According to last night’s statement by the centre, the 40-year-old construction worker told the Health Bureau yesterday evening that he also attended the banquet in Tanzhou on Sunday, because of which he has also been classified as a COVID-19 close contact. The man, who works for Cheong Kong Construction Company Limited in Macau, worked on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, before returning to Tanzhou yesterday. Six colleagues who had been working with him have been classified as “secondary” COVID-19 close contacts, the statement said.

During yesterday’s press conference, Lo noted that the Macau Health Bureau has activated its COVID-19 contingency plan by carrying out certain special novel coronavirus measures in the wake of the Tanzhou COVID-19 case. From 00:00 today, according to Lo, all those entering Macau from the mainland via all border checkpoints other than the local airport must present a nucleic acid test (NAT) certificate confirming a negative COVID-19 result valid for just 48 hours, a change from the seven-day-validity requirement which had been in force until last night.

The Macau-Shenzhen ferry service has been suspended since early this week after new local COVID-19 cases had been reported in Shenzhen at that time. Consequently, Macau-mainland border checkpoints that are currently operating comprise land border checkpoints with Zhuhai, the Inner Harbour Ferry Terminal that runs a ferry route with Wanzai in Zhuhai, and the local airport in Taipa.

Quarantine & ‘self-health management’

In addition, according to Lo, all those who have visited Phase 1 or Phase 2 of the International Blossom Palace residential neighbourhood in Tanzhou, including those who had already entered Macau, must now undergo hotel quarantine for up to 14 days from the day they had left the town. However, the quarantine will last at least seven days.

Furthermore, Lo said, all those who have visited Tanzhou town must now practise “self-health management” for up to 14 days from the day they had left there. They will have to undergo up to five nucleic acid tests during their respective “self-health management” period, Lo said.

2,898 people in Macau visited Tanzhou

Lo said that the Health Bureau will continue its epidemiolocal investigations so as to identify more possible COVID-19 close contacts of the 45-year-old man and the 59-year-old woman.

As of yesterday afternoon, according to Lo, 2,898 people in Macau have visited Tanzhou within the past 14 days, while 18 people in Macau have visited the International Blossom Palace residential neighbourhood in Tanzhou.

According to Lo, all cross-border students and teachers enrolled in local schools who live in Zhuhai or Zhongshan, totalling 4,296, are also required to undergo a one-off nucleic acid test. As of yesterday afternoon, Lo said, 1,944 of them had had their swabs collected.

Lo underlined that the Macau Health Bureau does not rule out the possibility that more COVID-19 positive cases will be detected in Zhongshan in the near future as the health authorities there have still not identified the source of infection of the 24-year-old case in Tanzhou, because of which, he said, Macau is now facing a higher COVID-19 risk. Lo urged residents to remain vigilant against the novel coronavirus, avoid attending events involving crowd gatherings, and stick to COVID-19 personal protection measures.

Lo also said that Macau currently has 266 isolation beds for COVID-19 patients.

Parents are seen picking up their children from the Fong Chong (Taipa) Crèche under Health Bureau (SSM) officials’ supervision yesterday.
Photo: Prisca Tang