Inbound travellers who have been infected with Covid-19 within two months prior to entering Macao are no longer required to undergo three Covid-19 tests (either nucleic acid tests (NAT) or antigen tests) at least 14 days after having tested negative once, the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre has announced.
Prior to this new measure, anyone infected with Covid-19 within two months was only allowed to board any means of transport to Macao at least 14 day after having tested negative in three consecutive tests carried out at least 24 hours apart.
The decision to lift the policy, which was imposed in early April, came after Macao’s health authorities took into account that Covid-19 infected individuals are no longer considered “highly contagious” after seven days of first becoming infected.
However, all travellers boarding Macao-bound transport continue to be subject to the government’s current Covid-19 NAT and vaccination requirements, according to the centre.
Meanwhile, health officials said during today’s Ou Mun Tin Toi radio programme that measures have been taken to reduce the time for arrival procedures at Macau International Airport, starting today, with the NATs made available for passengers as soon as they disembark the plane.
In addition, those whose test results are out already will be arranged to be transported immediately to a quarantine hotel or hospital facilities instead of having to wait for other passengers who are still waiting for their test results.
Currently, passengers arriving in Macao must wait – sometimes long hours – not only for their NAT results to be out but also for them to be grouped together with other arriving passengers before being transported to the quarantine hotel.
During the radio programme, Tai Wa Hou, coordinator of the vaccination programme of the Health Bureau and a clinical director of the Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre, also said that after the latest wave of Covid-19, the daily vaccination number in Macao stands at around 2,000 compared to just 100 before the outbreak began on 18 June.
