The Chief Executive, Mr Ho Iat Seng, meets the press at Macau International Airport, upon returning from a four-day duty visit in Beijing.
The Chief Executive, Mr Ho Iat Seng, said the Central Government was concerned about the medical issues Macao was facing now, and had directed the relevant authorities to support the Macao public’s needs in terms of medicine supplies.
Mr Ho made the comment during a meeting with the press on the evening of 24 December at Macau International Airport. He had returned to Macao after a four-day duty visit to Beijing, to report to President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang on the current situation in Macao and on the work of the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) Government.
The Central Government had also given guidance regarding Macao’s economic development. It would consider requests that had been made by the MSAR Government during the duty visit, Mr Ho said.
The Chief Executive said he had been paying close attention to the situation in Macao over the past few days. He was told by the Secretary for Administration and Justice that it had been possible to maintain public services, despite a number of public-sector staff testing positive for COVID-19.
The MSAR Government was well aware of the situation faced by the public, Mr Ho said. Anti-epidemic support kits – including appropriate medication – should meet the basic needs of those that required them.
He went on to say that Macao had to keep up with the mainland in terms of anti-epidemic measures. As relevant measures on the mainland had been gradually relaxed since 7 December, the two communities faced a similar situation, he said.
Dawn was on the horizon, and everyone must do their best during this challenging period, in order to restore normality to society, Mr Ho said. The MSAR Government would give its full support to the public, and would ensure supplies of medication to medical institutions.
The Government would invite medical professionals practising in private institutions to support the public hospital, especially the emergency department. This was to ensure the safety of those with severe symptoms, the elderly and children. People with mild symptoms of illness were advised not to go to the emergency department. In addition, a total of 1,000 beds were available at the Islands District Medical Complex. Medical professionals to support that would be allocated accordingly. More than 4,500 beds had been allocated at designated hotels for those in need.
Over the past three years, the MSAR Government and the community had stood as one to fight COVID-19. Lately, Macao had been able gradually to open up, as the Omicron variant had been found to be having a weaker impact on human health than other variants. In the present phase, the MSAR Government would focus on management of illness. The MSAR Government would work shoulder-to-shoulder with the public during this transition period.
In addition, the Chief Executive said he expected the Central Government would announce soon updates regarding requirements for nucleic acid testing. There would not be any backtrack on the updated position. The direction was for opening up, so everyone could soon resume their normal life.