From 8 to 16 February, all civil servants will be exempt from work, according to an executive order signed by Macau Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng.
In the executive order, Ho Iat Seng said the measure is on account of the evolution of the coronavirus epidemic.
Only civil servants in essential departments will work. According to the government, all other civil servants must stay at home and avoid going out.
The government of Macau employs around 32,000 civil servants. This is the second consecutive week that the government has suspended work for Macau civil servants.
Meanwhile, Macau residents wishing to visit Hong Kong will be quarantined there for 14 days if they had visited the Chinese mainland a fortnight prior to their arrival in Hong Kong, the Macau Government Information Bureau (GCS) said in a statement on Friday.
The measure will take effect Saturday, said the statement which quoted a notification sent by the Hong Kong government to its local counterpart on the matter.
According to the statement, the 14-day quarantine covers everyone entering Hong Kong via mainland Chinese border checkpoints, as well as all those entering Hong Kong by other routes and had been to the mainland in the previous 14 days.
The measure applies to Hong Kong and mainland residents and other people classified as visitors to Hong Kong, the statement said.
In the statement, the local government urged Macau people once again to stay united “during this critical moment” in fighting the novel coronavirus epidemic.
The statement underlined that the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau are part of the nation’s overall response to the virus threat.
Due to the cancellation of maritime links between Macau and Hong Kong, the only access to the neighbour Special Administrative Region by Macau residents is through the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge.
(The Macau Post Daily/Macau News)
PHOTO © Macau News/António Sanmarful
