Mailbags containing mail and parcels undergo a second round of disinfection on arrival at a Macao Post and Telecommunications Bureau facility.
All mail and parcels from outside Macao must undergo three rounds of disinfection upon arrival, in order to minimise the risk of importing COVID-19 into the city.
In view of epidemic-related situations in neighbouring cities, Macao has put in place a set of guidelines to handle mail from outside, after listening to advice from Macao’s Health Bureau, and after referring to the country’s State Post Bureau.
The Macao Post and Telecommunications Bureau today held a media tour, in order to help reporters get a better understanding of disinfection procedures for mail and parcels from outside.
All mail – including express mail, parcels and general mail – delivered to Macao either via sea, land or air routes, must undergo three rounds of disinfection prior to being delivered to relevant addresses. The entire disinfection process takes more than 70 hours, said a representative of the Macao Post and Telecommunications Bureau.
The first round of disinfection takes place upon each item’s arrival at Macao boundary checkpoints. The second round of disinfection for each item takes place at post offices, where the outer package is disinfected. Each item is then held for more than 10 hours. The third round of disinfection for mail and parcels takes place prior to each item being dispatched to the relevant address.
In addition, those Macao Post and Telecommunications Bureau staff tasked with handling mail and parcels from outside the city are each required by the Health Bureau to take a nucleic acid test every seven days, and to observe protective measures if delivering mail and parcels locally.
Members of the public are advised to wear a protective face mask and disposable gloves when opening either mail or parcels from outside the city, or those high-risk places for COVID-19 infection. People should open such items outdoors. If the process involves removing goods from boxes and has to take place indoors, such boxes should be disinfected with a 75-percent isopropyl alcohol solution. After completing such an unpacking process, it is necessary for people either to wash or disinfect their hands.
