The validity period of negative COVID-19 tests for travellers crossing the borders between Macau and Zhuhai will return to seven days as of midnight of Wednesday 25 August in the latest sign that China’s latest virus outbreak is now under control.
The move comes as mainland China reported zero new cases of COVID-19 on Monday for the first time since July.
The validity period of virus tests had been shortened to just 12 hours after a family of four Macau locals tested positive to COVID on 3 August shortly after three of them had returned from Zhuhai. That period was later extended back to 48 hours after a three-day mass testing blitz of all Macau residents returned no further positive results.
Most visitors now have a full seven days, however those from medium or high-risk areas must still obtain a negative test result within the previous 48 hours.
It is expected that the easing of border policies between Macau and Zhuhai will prompt a further increase in visitation over the coming weeks. Visitor numbers between 14 and 18 August had already climbed 168% over the previous week to an average of 29,000 per day according to figures from Macau’s Public Security Police Force.
