The member of staff at the Treasure Hotel in Taipa, who tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday, may have been infected by a person undergoing medical observation on the property.
The discovery sent a wave of dismay through the hotel, as the government forced travellers who were confined there and due to leave quarantine to extend their stay until Saturday, even though they had repeatedly tested negative for the coronavirus.
Wong Weng Man, acting chief of the Health Promotion Division of the Health Bureau, said yesterday that the 24-year-old male non-resident worker was tasked with delivering meals and other items to room guests and collecting rubbish.
Wong noted that Treasure Hotel, which is opposite the airport, is used as a special quarantine hotel earmarked for those arriving from Taiwan and foreign countries, adding that a higher percentage of those arriving from Taiwan and foreign countries over the past two weeks had been diagnosed with Covid-19 infection compared to one or two months ago.
As a result, she said, the Health Bureau (SSM) has not ruled out the possibility of the staff member having been infected by a room guest.
Wong also noted that currently quarantine hotel staff members working in high-risk positions are required to undergo a nucleic acid test every other day, adding that after Monday’s detection of the Covid-19 case at Treasure Hotel, the government has required Treasure Hotel’s staff members working in high-risk positions to undergo a daily test.
According to SSM guidelines, quarantined hotel staff members working in lower-risk positions must undergo a NAT every seven days.
Wong also said that as of yesterday afternoon, no other Treasure Hotel staff members subject to “closed-loop management” had been diagnosed with Covid-19 infection.
In related news, Wong also said that some people undergoing hotel quarantine had told the SSM that they felt unwell when they had their nasopharyngeal swabs taken for Covid-19 tests while undergoing medical observation as the health workers inserted the swabs “too deeply” into their nose.
Wong noted that as those undergoing hotel quarantine face a higher risk of having been infected with Covid-19 compared to the general population, it is necessary for health workers to take their swabs in a more rigorous way compared to when they take swabs from people in general, The Macau Post Daily reported.
