Macau bans international passenger flights for two weeks
Officials at the Macau International Airport monitors thermal scanners at a temperature monitoring station | PHOTO: Reuters
HONG KONG — Macau has announced a two-week ban on any inbound passenger flights from outside of China after three coronavirus cases were found in passengers arriving from overseas.
The move came the same day Hong Kong banned flights from eight nations and ramped up social distancing measures, leaving the two neighboring Chinese territories even more cut off from the rest of the world.
Like mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau have maintained some of the world’s harshest measures throughout the pandemic — including virtually closed borders, weeks-long quarantines, targeted lockdowns and mass testing.
Macau’s Health Bureau announced Wednesday it will prohibit “civil aircraft from carrying passengers from places outside China to Macau” for two weeks starting midnight on Sunday.
Macau bars non-residents from entering the city, while residents returning from outside of China have to quarantine for at least 21 days, similar to Hong Kong.
Article continues after this advertisementHealth officials on Wednesday identified three imported asymptomatic cases in Macau, related to travelers from the United Kingdom and the Philippines.
Article continues after this advertisementThe former Portuguese colony turned Chinese gambling hub has only recorded 79 confirmed coronavirus cases — using the mainland’s tallying method that excludes asymptomatic patients — and no deaths.
In August, Macau ordered compulsory coronavirus testing for all 680,000 residents after a family of four was found to be carrying the Delta variant, breaking the city’s 16-month streak of being virus-free.
Macau has also adopted mainland China’s health app, which rates infection risk, tracks movement and generates test and vaccination records.
RELATED STORIES
Macau to test population after four new COVID-19 cases
OFW is Macau’s 15th COVID-19 case
For more news about the novel coronavirus click here.
What you need to know about Coronavirus.
For more information on COVID-19, call the DOH Hotline: (02) 86517800 local 1149/1150.
The Inquirer Foundation supports our healthcare frontliners and is still accepting cash donations to be deposited at Banco de Oro (BDO) current account #007960018860 or donate through PayMaya using this link.
