The Guangdong government will lift its 14-day quarantine requirement on all arrivals from Macao from tomorrow, the local government’s Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre announced in a statement Monday night.
The statement said that the Zhuhai government had notified its Macao counterpart of the new measure, which will start at 6 am tomorrow, to “restore the normal movement of people between Guangdong and Macao”.
The statement said that the Guangdong government had decided that it will no longer impose its 14-day quarantine measure on “people entering the province via Guangdong-Macao border checkpoints after communications and discussions between the Guangdong and Macao governments so as to fulfil the central government’s decision and strategy to maintain [COVID-19] prevention and control work while pushing ahead with socioeconomic development”.
The statement said that the new measure was applicable to all arrivals from Macao, except confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients, those who have been in close contact with confirmed COVID-19 patients, those with a fever or any respiratory symptoms, and those who have been to a foreign country, Hong Kong or Taiwan within the 14 days prior to their intended entry into Guangdong.
The statement said that before crossing the Guangdong-Macao border, the travellers must undergo a nucleic acid test (NAT) at medical institutions recognised by the Guangdong or Macao authorities, activate their Macao Health Code and convert it into a Guangdong Health Code, and complete the mainland customs’ health declaration e-form.
When crossing the border, the travellers must show their green Guangdong Health Code which displays a valid NAT certificate confirming that they have tested negative for COVID-19 within the past seven days, the statement said, adding that those who do not have the NAT certificate displayed on their Guangdong Health Code can present a paper NAT certificate.
The statement also said that after entering Guangdong, the travellers must ensure that their mobile phones with a mainland phone number can always be contacted.
According to the statement, those who have entered Guangdong from Macao can only travel within the nine Greater Bay Area (GBA) cities in the province, namely Dongguan, Foshan, Guangzhou, Huizhou, Jiangmen, Shenzhen, Zhaoqing, Zhongshan and Zhuhai, while Macao residents who work or live in Guangdong and mainlanders who have returned to the province from Macao can travel within the whole province.
The statement said that those who have travelled beyond the permitted areas or violated other COVID-19 prevention and control rules in the province will have their eligibility to enter the province from Macao without undergoing quarantine cancelled.
The statement said that people who have entered the province for less than 14 days must declare their health condition on the Guangdong Health Code every day and properly carry out COVID-19 protection measures.
The statement also said that after arriving at their destinations, those who have a fixed residence or workplace must report their arrival to the community committees or village committees there in a timely manner. The statement said that the travellers should refrain from going out and participating in any activities involving crowds within the 14 days after entering the province.
The statement said that those who stay at a hotel must declare their health status to the hotel staff when checking in.
All travellers arriving in Guangdong from overseas as well as Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan have had to undergo 14 days of “concentrated” quarantine there since 27 March. Border entry curbs between Macao and Zhuhai have been gradually relaxed since the implementation of the Guangdong government’s quarantine measure, such as quarantine waivers granted by the Zhuhai government to certain groups of Macao-Zhuhai cross-border commuters, and the special measure to allow Macao residents who need to cross the Macao-Zhuhai border for official purposes, business activities or other special reasons to apply for exemption from the 14-day quarantine requirement.
(The Macau Post Daily/Macau News)
PHOTO © Government Information Bureau (GCS)
