Macau Closed Once Again; New Covid-19 Cases Appear

After the entire shut down in February due to coronavirus proliferation, Macau casinos now face more of the same, as new coronavirus cases are emerging. For this reason, the former Portuguese territory has had to once again undertake drastic measures to help prevent additional problems in the community.

About Isolation

Authorities in the city decided to activate an additional isolation period after a Spain businessman landed in Macau on Monday, March 16. The patient reportedly tested positive for Covid-19, despite all measures for preventing the infections. The 47-year-old businessman is the twelfth Macau patient affected by a coronavirus.

However, this is not all from the popular gambling location. The Authorities reported one more case of a 20-year-old woman who traveled from London to Kuala Lumpur to Hong Kong, finally entering Macau by way of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge.

Right after arriving, the woman was tested for the virus with the results being positive. Subsequently, she became the 13th ed person who suffered from the virus.

Background

Macau had successfully marked one month without any reported new coronavirus cases. When everybody thought new cases had ceased, they started to reappear. People from all over the world still insist on traveling from affected countries to other regions regardless of the threat of further spreading Covid-19.

The local officials decided that people who are coming from Taiwan, China mainland and Hong Kong don’t have to spend 14 days in isolation. However, those who are arriving from high-risk areas must spend some time under medical observation. Depending on the result of surveillance, these individuals could be required to self-quarantine.

Additional Problems

Coronavirus has already caused significant problems in Macau and it has faced significant financial losses. The local government has announced a favorable package in the amount of MOP$2.2 billion ($274.7 million). It would provide residents with an “electronic consumption voucher” for MOP$3,000 ($374).

The travel ban is going to eliminate this , however, and Kwan Feng from Macau University’s Department of Economics expressed his opinion:

“Most people hope we can have a strong rebound in the second half of this year, but now as the pandemic stands, we might need to wait until the end of the third quarter or even the fourth quarter to see any rebound.”

He added:

“A few weeks ago, we were predicting that once the situation in mainland China was brought under control, Macau could once again welcome tourists and business would go back to normal. But now, the situation has become more complicated and unpredictable.”

Source:

“Macau back on virtual lockdown as new COVID-19 cases appear”, Erik Gibbs, calvinayre.com, March 18, 2020.