The Macao Health Code colour of about 7,600 people became yellow after the mass NAT drive ended on Saturday.
Tai Wa Hou, a clinical director of the Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre, said that as well as those failing to undergo the free tests within the 72-hour mass testing period, the 7,600 people included about 2,000 non-locals – almost all of them non-resident workers – who made an appointment for their tests with their blue-card number instead of the ID number of their border entry-exit document.
For both the regular NAT programme and the mass NAT drive, non-locals in Macao have been required to make an appointment with the ID number of their border entry-exit document. However, some non-resident workers reportedly made an appointment with their blue-card number, but medical workers at the testing stations tested them nevertheless.
Tai said yesterday that as the non-resident workers had used their blue-card number instead of the ID number of their border entry-exit document, the Macao Health Code system could not identify them, because of which, Tai said, their Macao Health Code colour had turned yellow – despite the fact that they underwent the mass testing.
Tai said that the Health Bureau has contacted the non-resident workers whose Macao Health Code colour had turned yellow due to the ID information issue.
According to Tai, some of them have had their Macao Health Code colour returned to green after the Health Bureau had been able to verify that they had undergone the test. However, Tai said, the bureau has been unable to verify whether some of them had undergone the Covid-19 tests under the citywide NAT drive, so they are required to take a paid test before their Macao Health Code colour can revert to green.
It was announced that those who had failed to undergo the mass tests before 9 am on Saturday were required to undergo a paid test at the city’s five regular NAT stations before 9 pm on Saturday, otherwise their Macao Health Code colour would become yellow.
Tai said yesterday that among the 7,600, some 1,000 whose Macao Health Code colour had turned yellow had later undergone a paid test, because of which their health code colour has returned to green.
Tai said that as of 4 pm yesterday, the Macao Health Code colour of 4,704 people in Macao – comprising 2,259 Macao residents and 2,445 non-local residents – was indicating yellow due to their failure to undergo the free mass tests, or the required follow-up paid tests. Tai underlined that their health code colour would remain yellow until they undergo a paid test – provided it comes up with a negative result.
According to Tai, the Health Bureau will send an SMS to all those who have not undergone a NAT, urging them to get tested as soon as possible. Tai added that the Health Bureau will contact them asking them why they had not undergone the Covid-19 test.
For those who had not undergone the test due to reduced mobility or other special reasons, Tai said that Health Bureau and Social Welfare Bureau (IAS) staff will visit their homes.
Tai warned that if anyone still refuses to undergo a test, the bureau will ask the police to transfer them to a testing site where they will have to stay until their negative result has come up, according to Tai.
According to Tai, those who continue to refuse to be tested for Covid-19 after being located by the police will be transferred to hotel quarantine for 14 days. If they refuse to undergo hotel quarantine, Tai said, the authorities will impose “mandatory quarantine” on them.
