The previous drop in visitor numbers was recorded on 3 August, when it was revealed that four people in the city had contracted the highly infectious Delta variant of Covid-19. The number of tourists declined by 46% to 12,900 on 3 August, and 4 August saw an 86% day-to-day drop to 1,800.
However, the Macau Government has assured the public that no new outbreak was linked with the four cases. The authorities gathered 716,251 samples for testing, and while eight samples held traces of the virus, the Government doesn’t see a reason for additional lockdowns.
Currently, Macau has marked areas of the city according to the level of infection, with residents in the Red Zone confined in their area until at least 17 August.
Macau also confirmed that those who wish to cross the border to China (specifically the Guangdong province), will be able to do so with a nucleic acid test result issued within 48 hours.
Previously, due to the four delta cases, the timeframe for the test was shortened to 12 hours. The decision to ease border restrictions came after the mass testing in the city didn’t show any new outbreaks.
The removal of immediate pandemic prevention came on Tuesday, after nearly a week. Yet despite the easing of travel between the city and mainland, Macau maintains some of its restrictions within the city, with entertainment venues, such as cinemas, bars and beauty salons, shut down to prevent the spread of the virus.
