Health officials have identified another at-risk area near the Gongbei Barrier Gate Checkpoint which will be subject to mass nucleic acid testing today.
The Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre received a report from Zhuhai yesterday that a case who tested positive for Covid-19 has recent travel records between Macao and Zhuhai.
Since the patient repeatedly travelled through the Barrier Gate Checkpoint on 5 and 6 August, a Key Area NAT drive will be conducted for individuals who live or work there.
Individuals in the following Key Area are required to undergo a NAT today; those who have participated in the NAT drive for key groups of workers need not repeat the test.
The Key Area includes :
The area surrounded by Praça das Portas do Cerco, Rua da Paz, Rua Dois do Bairro Iao Hon, Rua Quatro do Bairro Iao Hon, Istmo de Ferreira do Amaral, Travessa de Artur Tamagnini Barbosa, Rua de Lei Pou Ch’ôn, Travessa Um da Cidade Nova de T’oi Sán, Rua Dois da Cidade Nova de T’oi Sán, Rua do Canal das Hortas and Rua dos Currais.
People who have stayed at the above places for more than half an hour on or after 5 August must also take a NAT.
Infants and young children born after 1 July 2019, as well as elderly and disabled persons who have difficulty in walking or who need care from others, are not exempted from this NAT drive.
According to the Centre, a text message will be sent to people living in the Key Area reminding them to make a booking. If the NAT is not performed as required, the health code will be changed to a yellow code on the next day.
To cooperate with this NAT drive, all sampling stations in the territory will be open until midnight tonight. In addition to the existing sampling stations, the Sino-Portuguese Technical Professional School – Indoor Sports Hall and the Community Services Building of the General Union of Neighbourhood Association of Macao (Caring Station) will also be deployed as NAT stations.
Before heading to the NAT station for sampling, members of the public must first perform a rapid antigen self-test (RAT) and declare the result via the Macao Health Code.
Only those who have a negative RAT result can be sampled at the NAT stations. If the RAT result is positive, regardless of whether having fever, respiratory symptoms or other discomforts, an ambulance should be called by contacting 119, 120 or 2857 2222.
