Macau’s Public Security Department reported that arrivals to the city increased by 49%, with 2,800 tourists visiting the region, following the recent reduction in travel. The previous drop in visitor numbers was recorded on Aug. 3, when it was revealed that four people had contracted the highly infectious Delta variant of COVID-19.
The number of tourists declined 46% to 12,900 on Aug. 3, and Aug. 4 posted a daily drop of 86% to 1,800. However, the Macau government assured the public that no new outbreaks were related to the four cases discovered.
As a result, authorities collected 716,251 samples for testing, and although eight samples contain traces of the virus, the government sees no reason to impose additional blocks. Currently, Macau has marked areas of the city according to the level of infection, with Red Zone residents confined in their region until at least August 17th.
Macau government eases measures to allow travel to China
In addition, the Macau government confirmed that anyone who intends to cross the border with China, specifically with Guangdong province, can do so with a negative test result for COVID-19 within 48 hours.
Previously, due to the four positive cases, the test period was reduced to 12 hours. The decision to ease border restrictions came after mass tests in the city showed no signs of a new outbreak.
The withdrawal of some prevention measures took place on Tuesday, after almost a week. However, despite the flexibility of travel between the city and the mainland, Macau maintains some restrictions, with entertainment venues, such as cinemas, bars and beauty salons, closed to prevent the spread of the disease.
