The Macau government’s Tourism Crisis Management Office (GGCT) issued on Saturday a Level 2 Travel Alert for Italy.
The office said it in a statement that it was alerting “Macau residents who intend to travel to, or are already in that country [Italy] to reconsider the current travel plans.
“It is suggested to avoid non-essential travel to the destination,” the statement said, adding that the office would “keep monitoring the latest developments of the situation.
Macau’s 24-hour tourism hotline is +853 2833 3000.
The office currently has Level 2 alerts for Italy, South Korea, Turkey and Egypt.
According to its website, Level 2 means: “Reconsider non-essential travel: The threat to personal safety is elevated.
“Macau residents planning to travel to, or [are] in that destination should reconsider the need to travel at this time. It is suggested to avoid non-essential travel to the destination.”
The office has a three-level alert system. Level 3 – the highest alert – urges to “avoid travel” due to “the presence of an extreme threat to personal safety”.
There is currently no Level 3 alert by the office.
Level 1 urges to “exercise caution” as there is an imminent threat of personal safety. Currently, Level 1 alerts cover Bali, Sri Lanka, Luzon, Belgium, France, Israel, Nepal, Tunisia, and the UK.
Meanwhile, Macau health authorities have imposed from Saturday a compulsory quarantine on people who have travelled to Italy or Iran in the past 14 days before entry in the territory, according to a government statement.
The travellers will have to undergo medical observation in isolation for 14 days at a designated venue.
Macau residents can stay at a domestic venue approved by the health authorities, while non-Macau residents will be placed at a designated hotel at their own expense.
Macau’s public services are scheduled to reopen on March 2, considering the positive results in combating COVID-19 achieved by the government since the outbreak of the epidemic and the needs of the population.
However, statement from the office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Justice, released on Thursday, said that citizens who need to deal with formalities at public services must submit a compulsory health declaration proving they are not experiencing coughing or fever, among other symptoms, under penalty of being refused entry into government departments.
Users of public offices are required to wear a mask if they want access to government premises and are subject to having their body temperature measured.
The decision of the Government of Macau means that around 30,000 civil servants will return to work after public offices closed completely February 10–14 and services were partly resumed starting on February 17.
The government also announced that from March all entertainment venues and parks can reopen to the public but recommended the use of masks for anyone using these facilities.
The health authorities also issued instructions for those establishments to reduce their usual number of customers by 50 percent and to ensure a distance of at least one metre between people at entertainment venues, such as cinemas.
Macau’s casinos almost all reopened on 20 February after being closed for 15 days although they are now required to implement special security measures, specifically masks for workers and players and measurement of body temperature.
Macau’s casinos employ around 57,000 people.
The authorities also announced the re-opening of tutoring centres in Macau, but schools and universities remain closed.
The government has said that the situation of schools and universities may return to normality in April.
Macau registered 10 cases of COVID-19 but seven, all of them from Hubei province, have already been discharged from hospital and returned to mainland China.
Macau has not registered any new case of COVID-19 for the last 24 days.
(The Macau Post Daily/Macau News)
PHOTO © The Mega Agency
