The most challenging days of the pandemic are passing and the city has entered a new stage, as focus shifts from prevention to medical treatment, as well as health support and prevention of severe cases, Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng said in his 2023 New Year message to people in Macao.
Ho said the local government “hopes that Macao people will gradually adapt to post-pandemic life, do their best to protect themselves and work together to resume fully normal economic and social activities”.
The chief executive praised the Macao people for “demonstrating their fine traits of mutual aid and unity, and joined hands to support and actively cooperate with the government to tackle difficulties and challenges” from Covid-19 in 2022.
He added the government remains “fully confident in Macao’s development and will march ahead in unity and make concerted efforts to open new horizons for that”.
In 2023, the year that marks the 30th anniversary of the promulgation of the Macao Basic Law, “multiple favourable factors for the development of Macao are emerging”, he underlined.
Ho reiterated the government will uphold the principle of “One Country, Two Systems”, safeguard the nation’s sovereignty, security and development interests in accordance with the overall policy direction for boosting the economy, promoting economic diversification, seizing opportunities presented by the country’s development, expediting adequate economic diversification and the development of the Guangdong-Macao Intensive Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, as well as alleviating people’s hardships.
“All these things will be done in order to break new ground in realising the One Country, Two Systems principle with Macao characteristics to improve people’s quality of life and create a brighter future for Macao,” he said.
