Authorities in Zhuhai announced this morning the immediate lifting of lockdown and control measures for the entire Nanping area ahead of the coming Chinese New Year holiday.
Nanping Town, about a 10-minute drive from Gongbei, Qingmao and Wanzai Port and a 20-minute drive from Hengqin Port, boasts around 100,000 residents including many who work or study in Macau. The area has been locked down since 14 January when 10 positive cases of COVID-19 were detected during a mass testing blitz.
Macau’s Health Bureau responded by shortening the time period within which arrivals from Zhuhai must obtain a negative test result to just 24 hours – significantly impacting visitation throughout the month.
Zhuhai said this morning that the lockdown would be lifted as of 6am with the area now considered low risk, according to an announcement from the Zhuhai Pandemic Prevention and Control Leading Group.
Currently Zhuhai has reported 36 confirmed cases and three asymptomatic cases since 14 January but there have been no new positive cases since 23 January.
In total, nine rounds of mass nucleic acid testing have been carried out in Nanping Town since 13 January while those at quarantine sites, including close and secondary close contacts as well as staff members, are still required to be tested twice a day.
The Spring Festival Golden Week runs from 31 January to 6 February 2022 with the Macao Government Tourism Office revealing on 27 January that it will roll out a series of activities this year such as its annual “Chinese New Year Celebration” activities and “Parade for Celebration of the Year of the Tiger”. These events were cancelled in both 2020 and 2021.
