Two deputies called on the Macau government on Monday to reduce the mandatory isolation period in hotels or replace it with home quarantines for those arriving from abroad.
Macao must follow the policy adopted in the neighboring Hong Kong region since August 12, which allows travelers to quarantine for three days at a designated hoteland then undergo four days of medical surveillance, defended deputy Che Sai Wang.
During the week of quarantine and surveillance in Hong Kong, travelers’ movements are restricted through the use of a health code system and they are also required to undergo regular Covid-19 testing.
Some of these tests could be free, “to ensure public health safety in Macau and at the same time attract more tourists,” said Che Sai Wang, in the run-up to the agenda at a session of the Legislative Assembly (AL ).
Che Sai Wang was elected on an electoral list backed by the Macau Civil Service Workers Association, along with José Pereira Coutinho.
As on August 11, the only Portuguese deputy in the AL once again defended the replacement of mandatory isolation in hotels with home quarantines, “taking into account the high vaccination rate in the Macao SAR”.
According to official data published on Sunday by the Macau Health Services, 91.15% of the population was vaccinated against Covid-19. although 4% only received one dose and 42.7% two doses.
Contrary to what happens with those who enter the border with mainland China, those who arrive from abroad are obliged to serve a seven-day quarantine in a hotel, a period that was previously 28 days, but has been progressively reduced. .
Macao follows the zero case policy imposed by Beijing, betting on massive testing of the population and confinement to prevent the spread of Covid-19 cases.
Macau government says it will gradually ease pandemic restrictions
The territory “must implement a plan for coexistence with Covid-19”, defended José Pereira Coutinho, “under penalty of sacrificing the confidence of investments in the territory, increased unemployment and suicides”.
The unemployment rate rose to 4.1% between May and July, 0.4 percentage points more than in the previous period, and the highest value since 2005, due to “the suspension of most industrial and commercial activities” during the recent outbreak of Covid-19, revealed this Friday the Directorate of Statistics and Census Services (DSEC).
According to official data from the Macau Security Secretariat, during the first half of the year there were 123 suicide attempts, 99 more than in the same period in 2021.
The number of attempts increased after the outbreak began on June 18, MP Wong Kit Cheng said on Monday, arguing that “society lives in an environment of insecurity.”
The Chinese special administrative region has recorded six deaths and just over 1,800 cases since the start of the pandemic.
Source: Observadora
