Macao’s Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre yesterday said that according to Guangzhou’s health authorities, the provincial capital reported at least 11 local Covid-19 positive cases on Saturday, some of which had meanwhile been confirmed as carrying the Omicron BA.2 sub-variant.
According to Guangzhou’s health authorities, Covid-19 community transmissions might have started in certain neighbourhoods in Guangzhou, and the novel coronavirus might have spread to other areas in the city. Guangzhou’s health authorities said that the city is now facing a scenario of fighting Covid-19 that is more critical than when the city was hit by transmissions of the Delta variant in May and June last year.
According to Guangzhou health officials, as of yesterday afternoon the city had reported 23 local Covid-19 positive cases during the current Omicron wave, which started on Friday.
According to international virologists and epidemiologists, the Omicron BA.2 sub-variant is even more contagious than the BA.1 sub-variant. Hong Kong and Shanghai have been hard hit by transmissions of the Omicron BA.2 variant during their current Covid-19 waves.
Due to Guangzhou’s latest Covid-19 developments, the Macao government has decided not to relax the current 24-hour NAT validity for travellers entering Macao from Guangdong.
Non-Macao residents failing to present a valid NAT certificate will be refused entry, while Macao residents failing to display such a certificate must immediately undergo a Covid-19 nucleic acid test.
The validity of the negative NAT result for those leaving Macao will remain unchanged at seven days.
