The Macau Health Bureau announced Tuesday that the SAR’s last remaining COVID-19 patient had fully recovered and been discharged from hospital.
With all 45 Macau cases now cleared, Director of the Health Bureau, Lei Chin Ion, said Macau had successfully completed its mission of “zero deaths and zero infections in hospital” during the second wave of the outbreak.
Macau recorded its first case on 6 February, with the initial group of 10 patients all discharged by 7 March. However, a second wave of positive COVID-19 cases began on 15 March. It is now 41 days since the SAR recorded its 45th and most recent positive test.
The news naturally prompted more questions about the reopening of borders between Macau and Guangdong Province as Lei insisted the government is putting considerable effort into preparations for the resumption of normal economic and social interactions between Macau, Hong Kong and Guangdong Province.
The director also revealed that Macau has the capacity to increase its COVID-19 testing from a current daily quota of 6,000 tests to 10,000. He pointed out that virus tests and the red-yellow-green health code systems recently implemented in Macau and China are necessary measures once local residents and visitors are allowed to cross borders without undergoing medical quarantine.
Hong Kong newspaper Sing Tao Daily reported Tuesday that border controls between Macau, Hong Kong and Guangdong Province might be erased soon and “good news” would be announced in the coming week.
However, Lei clarified this so-called “good news” might not relate to border restrictions.
