2 more COVID-19 cases bring total to 31 

Addressing yesterday’s daily press conference about Macau’s novel coronavirus (COVID-19) situation, Lei Tak Fai, who heads the Public Relations Division of the Public Security Police (PSP), said that two more people – a local resident and a non-resident worker from Nepal – have been found to have breached home quarantine rules, and the two case have been transferred to the Public Prosecution Office (MP) for further investigation.

The Public Security Police said on Tuesday that three people – two local residents and a non-resident worker from Indonesia – had been found to have breached quarantine rules. The two local residents who were undergoing home quarantine had been found to have left their respective homes by police officers during a spot check, while the Indonesian non-resident worker who was under medical observation at a designated hotel had been found by the police to have left the guestroom to get food and daily necessities. The police said on Tuesday that the three cases had been transferred to the Public Prosecution Office for further investigation.

During yesterday’s press conference at the Health Bureau (SSM) adjacent to the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre, Lei said that the two new cases were detected on Tuesday by police officers during a spot check. According to Lei, the police found that the local resident, whose gender was not revealed, was not staying in an address that he or she had told the authorities. Lei said that the police found that the address that the male Nepalese non-resident worker had told the authorities was not a genuine one, after which police officers managed to contact him, who admitted that he failed to undergo his quarantine in line with the official guidelines and admitted that he had been out and about.

Lei Tak Fai, who heads the Public Security Police’s (PSP) Public Relations Division, addresses yesterday’s press conference at the Health Bureau (SSM) about the city’s novel coronavirus (COVID-19) situation. Courtesy: TDM

So far, the police have caught 5 quarantine breakers 

The government has pointed out that those in quarantine found to have breached their official quarantine rules will be held criminally responsible. Those in home quarantine found to have breached the official quarantine requirements will be moved to mandatory quarantine at a designated place arranged by the authorities.

SSM Control of Communicable Diseases and Surveillance of Diseases Department Coordinator Leong Iek Hou said yesterday that her bureau has ordered the five people to stay under medical surveillance at designated places. Leong said that four of them have been moved to mandatory quarantine at designated hotels, while one of them, whom she did not identify, has already left Macau and gone to Zhuhai.

The local government has pointed out that quarantine skippers face a prison term of up to six months.

30th case

Meanwhile, the government’s Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre announced Macau’s 30th COVID-19 case in a statement shortly after midday yesterday, which identified the patient as a 52-year-old Australian national who visited San Francisco from February 27 to March 4 with his wife.

According to the statement, the man visited the United Kingdom from March 4 to 15. The man departed on March 15 on Virgin Atlantic Airways flight VS206 from London’s Heathrow Airport to Hong Kong where he arrived on the following day. He arrived later that day in Macau via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HZMB).

The statement quoted the Australian national as saying that he stayed at the Pousada de Coloane hotel between March 16 and 20 and that he remained in the area during those days, including Cheoc Van Beach near the hotel. “Pousada” is the Portuguese word for “inn”.

On March 19, he visited the Venetian resort in Cotai, arriving there by public bus 26A. He was refused entry into the casino because he did not have his passport with him so that he merely walked around the resort’s non-gaming amenities. That night, he had dinner at “La Gondola” restaurant in Cheoc Van Beach.

On March 20, he planned to return to Australia via the Hong Kong International Airport, but he was denied entry into the special administrative region so he returned to Macau. The statement did not say why he was denied entry by the Hong Kong authorities. Based on the regulations in force at that time, upon arrival in Macau he was transferred to the Grand Coloane Resort for medical surveillance.

The hotel is one of Macau’s “quarantine hotels” for 14 days of mandatory medical surveillance in response to the COVID-19 threat.

According to the statement, Health Bureau medical staff collected a sample from the man on Tuesday for a COVID-19 test. He tested positive for the novel coronavirus yesterday morning. The statement described his condition as “normal”. He has been transferred to the public hospital’s isolation ward for treatment, while his wife has been classified as a close contact so she has been transferred to the Public Health Clinical Centre in Coloane for medical surveillance.

31st case

The centre announced Macau’s 31st COVID-19 case in a statement in the early hours of today, which identified the patient as a 27-year-old local man.

According to the statement, the man flew from New York to Hong Kong on a Cathay Pacific flight yesterday. He boarded a Macau-bound special bus arranged by the Macau government via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HZMB).

At the Macau checkpoint of the bridge Health Bureau officials detected that he had a fever, after which he was taken to the public hospital’s special emergency ward for a COVID-19 test, where he tested positive for the novel coronavirus in the early hours of today, according to the statement, which described his condition as “normal”. He has been transferred to the public hospital’s isolation ward for treatment.

Health Bureau (SSM) officials have pointed out that Macau’s “second wave” of COVID-19 infections started on March 15. Since then 21 of Macau’s total of 31 cases have been confirmed. The city’s first case was confirmed on January 22. All of the previous 10 COVID-19 (the “first wave” patients) – seven tourists form Wuhan and three locals – have meanwhile been discharged from hospital.

Health Bureau officials reaffirmed yesterday that Macau has 232 isolation beds and 72 ventilators for COVID-19 patients.