The border between Macau and Zhuhai will effectively reopen from 12 noon Monday 4 October, however anyone entering Zhuhai will have to be vaccinated and show a negative COVID-19 virus test obtained within the previous 48 hours.
Macau’s Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre said Sunday that travellers must have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine or they will need to undergo 14 days of mandatory quarantine when entering Zhuhai. Children under 12 or those with medical certificates will be exempt.
The reopening of borders, albeit with the new vaccine rule, comes after just 3,122 visitors arrived in Macau over the first two days of the Golden Week holiday, including just 1,373 arrivals on Saturday – less than 1% of the 161,200 who arrived on the (equivalent) second day of Golden Week in 2019. It was also significantly lower than the 22,116 who arrived last year.
Zhuhai effectively closed the borders with Macau from 6am on 26 September, implementing 14 days of quarantine for arrivals after an outbreak of COVID-19 among a number of security guards at a Macau quarantine hotel. Originally scheduled to reopen on 29 October, the easing of border restrictions has instead been postponed twice.
However, the Macao SAR Government will not postpone the public consultation process around proposed amendments to the city’s gaming law despite the first public consultation session being put on hold last week due to the COVID-19 situation. The Secretary for Economy and Finance, Lei Wai Nong, emphasized that the 45-day public consultation will end as planned on 29 October.
