Tourist in Macao Special Administrative Region in September of 2022 Photo: IC

The health authorities of Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) have rolled out COVID-19 prevention and control guidelines as group tourism from the Chinese mainland to the SAR is expected to resume in the near future, Macao's local media reported Wednesday. 

According to the SAR's previous release on September 24, Macao will resume electronic visa processing for mainland visitors, and gradually reopen to mainland tour groups. Guangdong Province neighboring Macao will be the first to resume tourism with Macao, following with Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Fujian provinces and Shanghai Municipality.  

Macao's guidelines offer suggestions on the matters to pay attention to about travelling including the limitation on the number of tourists in each group and details about the movement during the travel. Besides, group tour leaders and tour guides have to take nucleic acid tests at least once every seven days. 

According to the guidelines, group tourism staffers and tourists have to report their 10-day travel history before they leave for Macao. Those who have contact with COVID-19 infections and those with other risks won't be accepted. 

All the tourists and travel agency personnel's contacts such as mobile phone numbers or WeChat accounts will be saved for at least 14 days and the tourists have to take temperature measurement every day. 

Except for eating food and other situations, masks have to be worn as much as possible during the trip. Besides, personnel sitting together during transportation and meals have to keep their seats fixed and social distance has to be adhered to. 

If the tour includes free activities, participants have to record the details of their movements. 

The guideline also stressed that once tour members' health codes turn red or yellow or they show suspected symptoms of COVID-19 such as fever and diarrhea, they should immediately suspend their journey and visit hospital. The tour guides need to report to their agencies. Meanwhile, Macao Government Tourism Office and the center for disease prevention and control of the Health Bureau of the Macao SAR should be informed if many people feel uncomfortable. 

If tour group members are later confirmed as COVID-19 infections or close contacts of COVID-19 infections after they leave the group, they should inform the travel agencies in Macao in a timely manner. 

Staffers from several travel agencies in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province and Shanghai told the Global Times on Wednesday that tour group service has not yet resumed since official permission from the local tourism bureaus to organize tour groups to Macao has not yet been announced. The agency staffers expected that more information will be released next month. 

According to a post from the official WeChat account of the Macao SAR on September 24, service of electronic exit-entry permit for travelling to and from Macau for mainland travelers will be resumed and tour groups from mainland provinces and cities to Macao will also be gradually resumed. 

Global Times