Coronavirus: Macau back to citywide screening after 3 workers test positive for Covid-19, quarantine-free travel to Zhuhai on hold

One patient, 46, was fully vaccinated and usually crosses the border from Zhuhai to work; two others later revealed as also infected

Commuters stranded at Macau’s border with Zhuhai after travel scheme suspended, with schools also halting lessons

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Macau residents have to undergo another round of compulsory screening after three people tested positive for Covid-19. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 9:18pm, 4 Oct 2021Updated: 11:08pm, 4 Oct 2021

Three local Covid-19 infections involving construction workers have once again plunged Macau into citywide compulsory testing, with thousands of commuters also left stranded at its border with Zhuhai after a quarantine-free travel scheme was suspended hours before its planned resumption.

Macau authorities first reported on Monday morning that a cross-border construction worker had tested positive, and hours later his colleague and a Vietnamese labourer who had worked in the same places were also confirmed as infected.

Vaccinated travellers coming to Hong Kong via Macau will still need to be isolated at home for 14 days, while those who have not been jabbed will undergo seven days of quarantine.

Vehicles near the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge. Photo: Bloomberg

Alvis Lo Iek-long, the director of Macau’s Health Bureau, warned residents to remain vigilant and observe social distancing.

“At the moment, the risk of transmission exists in the Macau community,” he said. “I urge residents to stay home and reduce unnecessary activities.”

Macau residents woke up to the news that a 46-year-old construction worker, who lived in Doumen district in Zhuhai and usually crossed the border to work in the city, was confirmed to have Covid-19.