Relief For Macau As No Covid Cases Found

Macau completed its mass testing exercise on Sunday, with no positive cases of Covid-19 found from more than 700,000 samples.

The SAR ordered all of its residents to take tests on Wednesday after a family of four was diagnosed with the more infectious Delta strain of the coronavirus. People were given until Friday to take a test, with long lines forming at many testing centres.

In a statement in the early hours of Sunday, the Macau government said the testing had been completed, with 614,465 people joining the citywide nucleic acid testing programme and a further 101,786 taking tests on their own outside the programme.

"All test results have been confirmed at 02:00 today (8 August), all of them were negative," it added.

Macau officials has said the risk of an outbreak was "extremely high" and ordered a "state of immediate prevention" under the SAR's civil protection laws.

There's no word yet on how many people failed to comply with the testing order. Those who failed to take a test within three days would see their health code turned to amber; a green health code is required to enter many facilities, including restaurants, and to travel on public transport.

The government had also ordered many entertainment venues, including cinemas, gyms, bars, nightclubs, karaoke businesses, massage parlours and beauty salons, to close. However the casinos were allowed to remain open, with officials saying there was no link between the gambling industry and the Covid cases.

Macau had gone more than 400 days without a Covid infection.