The Chief Executive, Mr Ho Iat Seng, today said Macao was striving to relax entry-restriction rules introduced because of COVID-19, as mainland China gradually loosened its own quarantine measures for arrivals.
Speaking to reporters after the opening ceremony of the Seac Pai Van Health Centre, Mr Ho noted that a number of mainland cities were running – on a trial basis since 4 May – anti-epidemic measures that included adjusting the period of medical observation from “14 days of centralised quarantine + seven-day self-monitoring of health” to “10+7”, Mr Ho said he believed the new measure would become the predominant policy.
The Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) would continue to be in close communication with the National Health Commission regarding the latter’s ongoing review of the impact of the new quarantine measures. Once such review had been completed and on the basis that the epidemic situation remained stable, the MSAR Government would strive to relax its entry-restriction rules, including the possibility of introducing a “7+7” policy, Mr Ho said. He added he hoped such proposal could be realised during the summer holiday period.
Asked about a recent tightening in the issuance of exit visas by the mainland authorities and the impact that such development could have on Macao’s tourism, Mr Ho said the new rule would put some pressure on Macao’s economic-recovery effort. However, he noted that the mainland had not only limited outbound travel but also travel between provinces. Mr Ho added that normal tourism policies would surely be resumed once the epidemic situation became more stable on the mainland.
Regarding the resumption of normal travel between Hong Kong and Macao, the Chief Executive said the MSAR Government had not yet received any update regarding this topic. The local health authorities and the security authorities were responsible for coordinating such effort.
Mr Ho said additionally that the MSAR Government was in close contact with the Japanese Government regarding the fact that the Japanese authorities had placed Macao in a “yellow” category regarding COVID-19, i.e., medium level in terms of epidemic risk. The Japanese Government said it expected the removal of all restrictions in terms of epidemic-control measures for its nationals when arriving in Macao; however, that went against Macao’s existing anti-epidemic policies. The two sides should comply and respect the other side’s anti-epidemic measures, stated the Chief Executive, adding that the two sides would remain closely engaged regarding immigration issues.
Quarantine measures in place in Macao – under the principle of “preventing the coronavirus from re-entering Macao to cause an outbreak” – had been effective, said Mr Ho. Holders of a Portuguese passport who were not residents of Macao could enter the city under a recently-introduced scheme, but these people were obliged to undergo centralised medical observation. That was part of Macao’s anti-epidemic approach, in order to ensure the safety of the public and the stability of the community, Mr Ho added.
The Chief Executive also talked about tax revenue and the MSAR Government’s budget, saying that Macao’s economy had been negatively affected by the epidemic situation on the mainland during the first half of the year, resulting in a decrease in tax revenue from the gaming sector. Thus, the MSAR Government needed to adjust its budget for the second half of the year, he added. Mr Ho said he understood the concerns voiced by some members of the Macao public regarding the city’s economic recovery and other developments, but said that an expected growth in the number of visitors could give a boost to the economy for the rest of the year. In the long run, Macao would work closely with Zhuhai in order to accelerate local effort to promote the MSAR’s adequate economic diversification and the development of the Guangdong-Macao Intensive Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, Mr Ho added.
When reporters asked about the situation of “satellite casinos” in Macao, Mr Ho noted that such companies only had contractual relationships with the city’s gaming concessionaires or sub-concessionaires, but not legal status under the framework of the Law no. 16/2001 (“Legal Framework for the Operations of Casino Games of Fortune”). The proposed amendments to the existing law aimed not to change the overall path for the industry’s development, but to provide a clearer framework for the industry as a whole, he stressed.
The Chief Executive said that, according to the latest information available, a majority of the city’s “satellite casinos” should be able to remain in operation, except in cases of termination of contract by the relevant gaming concessionaire or sub-concessionaire. He said he believed only a few “satellite casinos” would eventually cease operations, with no significant impact on employment.
The MSAR Government paid utmost attention to the local unemployment situation, said Mr Ho. The Secretary for Economy and Finance and the Labour Affairs Bureau had spared no effort in advancing their work to ensure employment of local people, including by closely collaborating with related associations in order to collect their suggestions and views on the matter.