The Health Bureau (SSM) has said that if Macao continues to have zero Covid-19 community cases every day, or reports only a very small number of such cases whose infection sources can be identified, the mandatory wearing of KN95 facemasks when outdoors can be relaxed during the current Covid-19-control consolidation period’s three-day extension that will run from tomorrow through Monday.
Leong Iek Hou, who heads the Communicable Disease Prevention and Control Division of the Health Bureau, made the announcement at Thursday’s Covid-19 briefing.
The SSM first announced on Wednesday that the government plans to extend the ongoing seven-day consolidation period, which is slated to end at 11:59 pm today, for three more days through Monday next week, after which Macao can enter a Covid-19-prevention stabilisation period provided that the government’s upcoming citywide nucleic acid testing (NAT) drive, which will be carried out tomorrow and Sunday, comes up with “a good result”.
According to Wednesday’s announcements, the possible stabilisation period will see various Covid-19 measures gradually relaxed, such as allowing restaurants to resume dine-in services, allowing more businesses to resume operations, and less frequent mandatory NATs for those who leave home for work.
However, according to Wednesday’s announcements, those who dine in restaurants during the stabilisation period will be required to display a negative Covid-19 NAT result valid for 48 hours.
The government’s mandatory requirement for all adults to wear a KN95 facemask when outside has remained in force since the current consolidation period commenced on Saturday last week.
Many residents have complained about the “uncomfortable” KN95 facemasks. However, the government has pointed out that the KN95 facemasks offer a higher degree of protection against Covid-19 than surgical facemasks.
In addition, Leong said, more businesses and facilities will be allowed to gradually resume operations after the consolidation period’s three-day extension, such as indoor renovation projects, and shops in shopping centres without direct access to public roads.
Leong also said that if Macao can enter a stabilisation period after the current consolidation period’s three-day extension, more types of businesses and facilities whose operations are currently still banned will “certainly” be allowed to resume operations.
Furthermore, Leong also said that if Macao continues to have zero Covid-19 community cases every day in the foreseeable future, the government’s Covid-19 measures “will certainly become more and more relaxed”, The Macau Post Daily reported.
