Macao’s mandatory hotel quarantine for arrivals from Hong Kong, Taiwan and foreign countries will be replaced with a five-day home quarantine from midnight tonight, the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre has announced.
The Centre has also released guidelines for the new home quarantine measure.
Currently, travellers arriving from those three areas must undergo a five-day hotel quarantine – during which they are assigned red health code – plus three days of self medical observation at home, when their Macao Health Codes will be yellow.
Starting at midnight, arrivals who will undergo five days of home quarantine will first be assigned red codes for the first three days (day of arrival counts as Day 0) They must do a nucleic acid test (NAT) on the third day, but first must also take a self-administered rapid antigen test (RAT) at home and upload the result. If their RAT results are negative, their health codes will turn to yellow and will remain so after their NATs return negative. Failing to do the NAT will make their health codes turn back to red.
On the last two days, they must do daily RATs; if the results on both days are negative, their health codes will then turn to green, which means they can leave their home. However, for the next three days, despite having green health codes, they are barred from entering mainland China.
If one of their test results is positive, their home quarantine period will be extended and their health codes will remain or return to red.
Arrivals who do not have a home in Macao will still need to undergo Covid-19 quarantine in a hotel.
In related news, prior to departing for Macao, travellers must show a negative NAT result taken within 48 hours. Upon arrival, travellers will need to undergo a NAT at the port of entry, but they can go directly to their home or hotel without having to wait for the NAT result to come out.
Travellers who are still undergoing quarantine in a designated hotel will also be allowed to leave after midnight tonight, and the Health Bureau and Macao Government Tourism Office will make necessary arrangements, according to the Centre. However, they must still follow the five-day home quarantine measure.
Travellers preparing to enter Macao, who have made payments for hotel quarantine and NATs, will be refunded by relevant hotels and NAT agencies. Arrivals who still want to undergo their quarantine in a hotel can do so at their own expense.
Meanwhile, foreigners whose countries have not been included in Macao’s entry-permission list will still need to get prior approval from local authorities before entering the city.
In related news, Macao recorded 66 new symptomatic cases yesterday.
The Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre has also announced that people whose mixed tube of NAT samples is positive will no longer be assigned red codes. Instead, they will be assigned green codes with a “g28” code, for 48 hours, to indicate their mixed tube is positive.
Within the 48 hours, they need to do a RAT and upload the result onto their Macao Health Code or a single-sample NAT. If the RAT result is negative, their “g28” code will be removed at the end of the 48 hours, while those whose single-sample NAT result is negative will have the special code removed as soon as the result is out.
Those with the “g28” green codes will not have their movements limited in the city or any travel restriction to leave Macao.
