A 15-year-old resident from the city of Wuhan, Hubei Province, became the sixth confirmed coronavirus carrier case in Macau. The government announced in a statement that the boy is the son of one of the confirmed patients who contracted the coronavirus on Sunday.
According to the official statement, the young man had neither a fever nor a cough when it was confirmed that he was carrying the virus.
On Sunday, the government called for all Macau residents on holidays in mainland China to return to the city as soon as possible as a measure to prevent the spread of the virus. The authorities have asked Macau residents returning from China to spend 14 days at home in isolation.
With regard to civil servants that should return to work on the 30th January, the government indicated that when they return to service they will have to declare their health status.
On Sunday, special measures were taken towards the 1,113 residents of Wuhan who are in Macau. They can leave the territory if they are not sick or stay in isolation areas. The measure was put in force on Sunday and is applicable to Hubei and Wuhan residents that entered Macau between the 1st December and 26th January.
Regarding the entry of visitors from Wuhan or Hubei, a special corridor has been created at immigration posts and their entry is only allowed if they have a medical certificate from China declaring that they do not have health problems.
Visitors to Hubei and Wuhan are also banned from entering the casinos if they have been in the virus outbreak zone two weeks earlier, a measure that casino operators fear will be difficult to implement.
The government has canceled all Chinese New Year festivities, announced that schools, universities and libraries are closed until at least February 10, and asked residents to wear masks all the time but particularly on public transport. Macau’s cinemas and shows like the House of Dancing Waters have also been closed as a preventive measure.
The number of visitors to Macau from Mainland China and Hong Kong has fallen by 50 per cent in recent days.
