The Macau government announced that it will increase its mandatory quarantine requirement to 28 days for countries it deems “very high risk”. Under the changes, which will come into effect on January 6, arrivals from 22 countries must provide three negative Covid-19 nucleic acid test results issued within five days and at least 24 hours apart.
Countries deemed “very high risk” following the detection of a second imported Omicron case from a traveller arriving from the United States on December 27 are Bangladesh, Brazil, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia, Sri Lanka, Turkey, the US, and the African countries of Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
Currently, Macau-bound passengers from all other countries must undergo 21 days of isolation. Travellers entering the SAR from high-risk areas must present three negative Covid-19 test results issued within seven days and at least 24 hours apart, while those from other foreign countries must provide one negative Covid-19 test result issued within 48 hours of their arrival.
Hong Kong residents who enter Macau must serve a compulsory 14-day quarantine period at a designated venue and provide a negative Covid-19 nucleic acid test issued within 72 hours of their arrival in Macau.
Travelling from Macau to Hong Kong
Non-Hong Kong residents who wish to enter Hong Kong from Macau have two options. The first is the quarantine-free Come2HK scheme, under which a total of 2,000 people who hold Macau ID cards and other Mainland identity documents can enter Hong Kong daily via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and Shenzhen Bay Port.
Vaccinated travellers who do not enter Hong Kong under the Come2HK scheme must undergo a seven-day isolation period either at home, at a hotel that is not part of the city’s designated hotel quarantine programme, or at other accommodation. They must then self-monitor for an additional seven days and undergo compulsory testing during and after the isolation period. Unvaccinated arrivals must undergo 14 days’ quarantine, in addition to frequent testing for the virus.
Update (6 Jan 2022): Following Hong Kong’s announcement of stricter social distancing and international flight restrictions on Wednesday, Macau has banned inbound flights from everywhere except for mainland China for two weeks starting from 00.00am on Sunday, January 9.
Header image credits: JKT-c, CC BY 3.0
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