At first, it seemed that Macau was able to beat the coronavirus by taking drastic measures, one of them being a casino shutdown that lasted for two weeks. Truth be told, it remained one of the regions worldwide that successfully proclaimed that the area is virus-free. However, new visitors who come to Macau were tested positive.
Therefore, only several days of somewhat stable situation, Macau officials were forced to take another drastic step that includes limiting entrance to tourists from all over the world. The only people who will be able to go to Macau are from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and mainland China.
This semi-silation measure was taken after a businessman from Spain traveled to Macau and tested positive for COVID-19. The 47-year-old person comes from a country that is one of the epicenters of the virus in Europe, which is why Spain has been recognized as a potential threat.
The Spaniard was the 12th confirmed patient in Macau, and soon after that, the 13th patient appeared, who was a 20-year-old Macau resident. The resident has been on a trip to London, Kuala Lumpur, and Hong Kong, before returning home to Macau.
She was tested upon her arrival and was positive for COVID-19. After being transported to a hospital, the patient started showing signs of a fever.
Macau Doing a Good Job
Although the industry of Macau took a huge hit during the last couple of weeks, the officials of the Gambling Capital of Asia did an excellent job of stopping the virus from spreading. In fact, for more than a month, the area had a total of 10 recorded cases.
However, the WHO announced that COVID-19 is officially a pandemic, meaning Macau was still affected by the virus, which developed all over the world. Therefore, travelers are required to show common sense and contribute to stopping the virus from spreading by simply not traveling.
Visitors who come from mainland China, Hong Kong or Taiwan will not have to go to a 14-day quarantine. However, all of them will have to undergo a short medical surveillance test at designated locations that will tell them whether they are free to enter Macau.
If there are any suspicions during the test, they will have to self-quarantine for up to two weeks.
The newly recorded cases are definitely not a good thing for the city, which has already suffered huge losses and is under great financial pressure. The government of Macau announced recently that they are giving their citizens a “stimulus package.”
In other words, they will distribute a total of MOP$2.2 billion ($274.7 million) to the residents of Macau as electronic consumption vouchers.
Kwan Fent from the Department of Economics at Macau University stated for Inside Asian Gaming that people were hoping to get a rebound in the second part of 2020. However, with the virus spreading elsewhere, they might have to wait a bit longer.
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