Macao’s health authorities will begin distributing free anti-pandemic packages to the public from today through 18 December and people can collect these packages from 35 designated venues across the city, the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre has announced.
The packages are divided into:
– General (aged 12 and above): for people born on or before 31 December 2010, which contains antipyretic pills (such as paracetamol), Lianhua Qingwen capsules, rapid antigen test (RAT) kits and KN95 masks.
– Children (aged 7-11): for those born between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2015, which contains the same items as the general package.
– Children (aged 3-6): born between 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2019, which contains antipyretic medicine, Lianhua Qingwen capsules and RAT kits.
– Toddlers (aged under 3): born on or after 1 January 2020, which contains RAT kits only.
Anyone holding a Macao ID card, a work permit (commonly known as “blue cards”) or a special stay permit, as well as non-local students holding student ID cards from one of Macao’s higher educational institutions are eligible to receive these packages.
Eligible people must make an appointment either by scanning a special QR code for the distribution process or via this link. The appointment system was made available starting at 6 pm yesterday.
Among the 35 distribution points, one is a “care” station and eight stations are designated with priority lanes for children aged 3 and below, elderly people aged 70 and above, pregnant women and people with disabilities. These priority groups of people – including an accompanying person – can collect in person without an appointment.
Alternatively, they can be represented by a family member to collect their packages. However, people using the priority lanes cannot collect the packages on behalf of other people.
Details of the 35 distribution points can be found in the same link. Except for the Tap Seac Multisport Pavilion, the other distribution points are also operating as nucleic acid testing (NAT) centres.
To collect on behalf of someone else, a separate appointment must be made for each person, and the one collecting must also present the appointment code and original ID card of the recipient at the venue.
The government has already started distributing the packages to the city’s vulnerable groups, including the elderly and people with disabilities, as well as children and students at some nurseries, kindergartens and schools in Macao from 8 December.
Meanwhile, the Pharmaceutical Supervision and Administration Bureau has announced that each resident can now only buy five rapid antigen test kits and one box of antipyretics at pharmacies and that the bureau has issued guidelines to pharmacies not to raise prices of necessary anti-Covid supplies.
