After remaining Covid-free for three months, Macau registered 11 cases, prompting the authorities to carry out mass testing for all of its 700,000 residents on Tuesday.
The locals have been ordered to take PCR test on Tuesday and then get themselves tested with rapid antigen daily, reports Reuters news agency.
Apart from that, around 1,500 staff and guests were locked inside MGM China’s Cotai casino resort on Sunday for three days. It was not clear whether they would be released on Tuesday.
The officials are taking strict measures as the biggest gambling city braces for Typhoon Nalgae, which is fast approaching southern China. Authorities are hoping that the PCR tests can be completed in one day.
Being a special administrative region of China, Macau has adopted Beijing’s strict zero-Covid policy that involves frequent lockdowns and strict testing requirements.
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China has been witnessing a spurt of cases in the past one week, which has seen the closure of Disney’s Shanghai resort while a Foxconn plant in Zhengzhou continues to be rocked by workers leaving en masse over strict Covid restrictions.
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On Monday, the Chinese authorities allowed mainland residents to travel to Macau through an online visa system, streamlining travel to the world’s largest gambling hub after more than two years of pandemic restrictions.
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Macau is the only place in China where casinos are legal.
Before the online visa process, mainland visitors were required to submit detailed, in-person applications to visit the Chinese territory, with approvals typically limited to essential business travel. The strict process was being followed for the past two and a half years.
(With inputs from agencies)
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