Residents in Macao SAR wait in line to take nucleic acid tests in September, 2021. Photo: VCG

The Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) on Thursday upgraded its COVID-19 prevention measures, requiring all personnel entering the city from the mainland via land border ports to present a negative nucleic acid test certificate taken within 48 hours starting Friday, after Zhongshan, which is about 70 kilometers from Macao, reported one positive case on Thursday and two of the close contacts of the case were found in Macao.

The two close contacts, who had been to the same banquet as the infected person in Zhongshan on January 9, have shown negative nucleic acid test results, according to the Macao SAR government. The local health bureau is following up on the situation of the two close contacts.

The two close contacts are a nursing center employee and a child-care worker. They came back to Macao on the same day and went to work on January 10-12.

The local bureau is contacting their secondary close contacts including nine roommates, 87 personnel in the child-care center and 145 personnel in the nursing center.

Starting from Friday, non-Macao SAR residents who fail to present a negative nucleic acid test certificate as required may be refused entry; those who leave the region are also required to have a negative nucleic acid test certificate acquired within seven days, according to the Macao SAR government.

Macao requires residents who have entered Macao and had been to the site where an infected person was found to undergo self-health monitoring for 14 days and take nucleic acid tests for at most five times on the first, second, fourth, seventh and 12th days.

The female patient in Zhongshan, 24, went to the fever clinic of a local hospital for medical treatment on Wednesday and tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, the city authorities said. All related contacts have been traced and all key venues the patient visited have been disinfected. Further epidemiological investigation is underway.

Zhongshan started city-wide nucleic acid testing on Thursday and all residents are required to present a negative nucleic acid certificate taken within 48 hours before leaving the city. Residents have also been asked not to leave unless it's necessary.

Zhuhai, about 50 kilometers away from Zhongshan, also announced it would upgrade preventive measures including suspending all entertainment venues such as KTVs and movie theaters, and some areas in Zhuhai were required to undergo all-personnel screening.