Macau reported one more imported COVID-19 case on Monday, the city’s 67th confirmed case, however a 3-day mass testing blitz of all local residents had returned no further positive results as of Monday night.
According to the latest government information, a total of 695,424 samples had been taken as of 9pm on 27 September with all 517,223 completed tests returning negative results.
The testing blitz, Macau’s second in less than two months, follows confirmation by authorities on Saturday that two security guards working at a quarantine hotel in Macau had tested positive to COVID-19.
In response, the SAR entered a “state of immediate prevention” while Zhuhai shortened the validity period of virus tests for those crossing the border to just 24 hours. Anyone entering Zhuhai from Macau between 6am on 26 September to midnight at the start of 29 September will also be required to undertake 14 days of quarantine.
Macau’s latest imported case, also confirmed on Monday, is a Hong Kong resident who had visited several Middle East countries between April and July. She had been back in Hong Kong for more than two months before arriving in Macau on 19 September. Despite initially testing negative, she returned positive test results on 26 and 27 July.
This is the fourth case in Macau in the past four days, with the two security guards believed to have also caught COVID-19 from a guest at the hotel in which they were stationed – the Golden Crown China Hotel.
The Macao SAR government has since quarantined all staff, cleaners and security guards who were working at the Golden Crown China Hotel and since the Treasure Hotel is linked directly to the Golden Crown China Hotel, all staff of the Treasure Hotel had also been quarantined before the 67th case was reported.
Authorities also announced Monday that 855 people who had caught a Macau public transport bus in common with either of the two security guards in recent days would be quarantined for 14 days.
According to a Monday note from brokerage Bernstein, visitation to Macau tumbled 70% on 24 and 25 September as Zhuhai tightened restrictions on anyone entering from Macau.
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