People who live and work in the key areas surrounding Edificio Weng Heng in Fai Chi Kei area must do a nucleic acid test (NAT) today after a 66-year-old female local resident tested positive, the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre has announced.
The residential building near the Canidrome was designated a Red Code Zone at around 1:30 pm today. At around 3:45 pm, the Centre released a map of the key areas enclosed by Avenida do Conselheiro Borja, Rua Norte Patane, Rua Sul do Patane, Avenida do Almirante Lacerda and Avenida do General Castelo Branco.
Starting at 4 pm today, those living and working, as well as people who have stayed in the above areas for more than half-an-hour on or after 24 October, are required to take a total of three NATs – today, tomorrow and on Friday.
Nobody is exempted from the test. Those failing to take the test today will have their Macao Health Codes turned to Yellow tomorrow, according to the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre.
Everyone must take a self-administered rapid antigen test (RAT) before taking the NAT and upload their test results onto the Macao Health Code. Only those with negative RAT results are allowed to enter a test centre. Those with positive results must immediately call 119, 120 or 2857 2222 for assistance.
The Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre also said each person in the key areas will be given five RAT kits tomorrow.
Macao’s Health Bureau Director Alvis Lo this evening called on the city to remain calm. “You don’t need to panic,” he said.
“We will do one daily nucleic acid test (NAT) between today and Friday for specific groups that might be affected. Before the NAT, residents must do a RAT test.”
Six posts have been set up for NATs in the locked-down Red Zone for its 26,000 residents.
Meanwhile, the woman’s sister and son have so far tested negative, as have the seven others in the pooled batch.
Lo added: “Her CT level was 32 [in the positive batch found in Zhuhai] and 16.6 today [in Macao], which shows that she is at the initial stage. We believe that it’s possibly an imported case. The risk of transmission in the community is rather low, but we still have to be alert.”
If Macao does not register a community outbreak there will be no need to cut or cancel the tourist excursions from mainland China that are to start soon, said Liz Lam Tong Hou, head of Public Relations Division of the Macao Government Tourism Office.
