Visitors wear face masks as they walk outside the Venetian casino hotel resort as a Lunar New Year light display is projected upon a facade of the building in Macau on Jan 22, 2020, after the former Portuguese colony reported its first case of the new SARS-like virus that originated from Wuhan in China. (ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP)
HONG KONG - Starting Monday, Macao is denying entry to non-residents from Hubei province or those who have visited the central Chinese province within the past 14 days unless a proof of sound health is furnished.
Macao has confirmed five cases of the novel coronavirus and four of the patients are Wuhan residents
In addition, Macao has banned anyone who has traveled to Hubei within the past two weeks from entering the city’s casinos. Fourteen days is believed to be the maximum incubation time of the novel pneumonia-like disease. Anyone who breaches the new regulation is liable to attract a maximum sentence of two years in prison or a fine of 240 Macao Pataka per day.
Macao’s move came hours before neighboring Hong Kong announced on Sunday that it would refuse entry to visitors from Hubei province and those who had visited the province in the past 14 days.
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Macao health authorities have made it compulsory for travelers from Hubei who choose not to leave Macao to stay in a quarantine camp until the end of their journey or expiration of their visa. The government said those who displayed symptoms would be placed in mandatory quarantine.
More than 2,100 Hubei residents, including nearly 1,400 Wuhan residents, were in Macao as of Sunday, according to government figures. Macao has confirmed five cases of the novel coronavirus and four of the patients are Wuhan residents.
The authorities on Sunday said they could well consider further postponing resumption of classes at colleges after the Chinese New Year break if necessary, and urged Macao students in Wuhan, as well as mainland college students in Macao, to protect themselves against the disease.
Earlier, Macao deferred the start of a new semester for kindergartens, primary, secondary schools and colleges to Feb 10.
