The Macao government appears not to have issued any fresh travel alerts since 13 August, in spite of a looming conflict in the Middle East that has already caused dozens of airlines to scrap or reroute flights, and sparked a desperate exodus of foreign nationals from the conflict zones.
As of writing, the Chinese, Portuguese and English versions of the Macao Government Tourism Office’s travel alert service list only Israel as a level 3 destination.
The service advises residents to “avoid travelling to and, in some cases, leave” such places, noting that they pose an “extreme threat to personal safety” and that there are “limits on official assistance” that can be given to Macao residents stranded there.
However, there is no mention of Lebanon, which has been the target of intense Israeli bombardments and a ground invasion for several days, killing thousands of people.
[See more: Travellers braced for disruptions as Middle East conflict intensifies]
Iran has also been omitted from the list, despite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s vow that his country would retaliate after Tehran fired over 180 missiles at Israel last Tuesday. Imminent targets include Iran’s military bases, oil fields and nuclear facilities, which are spread throughout the country.
Currently, Iran is merely listed under a number of countries where Macao residents are advised to “carefully plan their itineraries.”
Egypt and Turkey are classed as level 2 countries on the Macao government list – places where Macao residents are urged to avoid non-essential travel – even though neither country is involved in the current hostilities.
For undisclosed reasons, the United Kingdom and India are listed as level 1 countries, where there is “an imminent threat to personal safety.”
