Macau Fears HK Outbreak Will Delay Its Recovery

Macau has seen more than one hundred days without new local Covid infections, but despite that, recovery is still a long way away as tourist number stays low amid tight border controls.

And now, residents there say Hong Kong’s latest outbreak is adding to their worries.

A shop owner, surnamed Lai, runs a souvenir shop near Macau’s most famous tourist spot, the Ruins of St Paul’s. She said although the coronavirus is brought under control, business hasn’t improved yet.

“There are a few customers, it’s better than nothing,” she said. But Lai said she’s very worried about what’s happening in Hong Kong.

“Of course I’m worried. I’m very worried! Because we are so close to each other. We must not allow people from Hong Kong to come! Or they must be put under quarantine, 14 days is not enough. At least 21 days, I’d say."

"I would rather earn less. Health always comes first. If anything goes wrong with your health, what good does money do? Nothing,” she said.

Macau has relaxed border control with the mainland, allowing people who test negative under the health code system to travel between the two sides without a quarantine requirement. But a taxi driver said it doesn’t help their trade.

“The border relaxation is only for residents, but Macau people don’t take the taxi, they mostly travel by bus. So if we don’t have tourists, taxi drivers’ business will stay the same,” he said.

The cabbie said he is worried that if Hong Kong cannot bring the outbreak under control, the mainland will delay the relaxation of border controls in the region, thus affecting Macau’s recovery.

But the president of Macau’s Travel Industry Council, Andy Wu, said as the city has the capacity to conduct 11,000 Covid tests a day, the current outbreak in Hong Kong will not spill over the border.

But he said a delay in the recovery of the tourism sector will affect both SARs.