China: Macau officials to ease more domestic COVID-19 curbs from Aug. 2 /update 77

Event

Officials in Macau will ease more COVID-19 curbs from Aug. 2 after finding no COVID-19 cases for nine consecutive days. Public services, entertainment facilities, and nonessential businesses like beauty salons, fitness centers, and bars may reopen. Restaurants may also resume dine-in services but must abide by social distancing protocols. Individuals must present a negative nucleic acid test result taken within three days to enter most public venues.

Domestic Measures
Residents must stay home except for essential purposes. Industrial and commercial companies, including casinos, may operate at a limited capacity but must abide by health protocols. Public venues, including schools, parks, museums, and sports facilities, are closed. People in public must wear a KN95 or N95 facemask.

Individuals in Macau must register their addresses or most frequented locations to receive a health code. Facemasks remain mandatory in casinos, government offices, and on public transport. Venues must ensure that all staff, visitors, and performers are fully vaccinated or hold a negative nucleic acid COVID-19 test result valid for 48 hours. Thermal scanners are in place at all entry points into Macau and many businesses, including casinos.

Macau officials are implementing localized lockdown measures. The following risk designations are in effect:

• Red lockdown areas: Individuals must quarantine for at least seven days and take nucleic acid tests on days 1, 3, and 7, and rapid antigen tests on days 2, 4, 5, and 6. People, except for essential workers, may enter but cannot leave the area. Residents should minimize movement but can collect daily supplies at designated locations. Authorities could transfer individuals to centralized quarantine facilities.

• Yellow precaution areas: Individuals must quarantine for at least seven days and take nucleic acid tests within 24 hours and on days 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7. Entry and exit controls are in place. Residents must undergo self-health monitoring and cannot leave Macau for at least 14 days.

As of Aug. 2, authorities have downgraded all 72 red lockdown areas to yellow precaution areas. Details on the affected locations are available by clicking here.

International Travel Restrictions
Residents from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan may enter Macau if they have not been to other locations in the previous 21 days. The government also permits some foreign nationals in Hong Kong with new residence permits, work or student visa holders and their families, and important short-term business and academic trips to enter the territory if they have not left Greater China within 21 days of entry and obtain permission.

Arrivals from Hong Kong and Taiwan must be fully vaccinated and present a certificate attesting that they took at least two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine at least 14 days ago and within seven months, provide a negative COVID-19 test result obtained taken within 24 hours before departure, quarantine at a government-designated facility for 10 days, and undergo self-health management or monitoring for seven more days. Individuals who completed the first two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine more than seven months prior must receive a booster to enter Macau. Arrivals from Hong Kong entering via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge must undergo seven days of home isolation, followed by seven days of self-health monitoring and nucleic acid tests on days 1, 3, 7, and 14. Travelers leaving Macau through the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau border checkpoint must present a negative nucleic acid test result taken within 24 hours.

Officials require inbound passengers from mainland China to present a negative COVID-19 nucleic acid test result. Inbound flight passengers and arrivals from Guangdong must ensure the testing sample is taken within seven days before departure. Land and sea travelers entering from mainland China must hold test results issued within the last 48 hours. Entrants from mainland China's medium- and high-risk areas must continue to quarantine for at least seven days and up to 14 days at designated hotels from their last exposure. Travelers from affected areas do not need to pre-book a hotel. Officials could alter quarantine requirements at short notice. A complete list of requirements for travelers from mainland China is available by clicking here.

Returning citizens and permitted travelers from other international locations must take a COVID-19 test within 48 hours before departure for Macau, quarantine for 10 days at a designated location upon arrival, and undergo self-health management for seven more days. Officials can increase quarantine if passengers return a positive serological test result. Any entrant that previously contracted COVID-19 within the last two months may only enter Macao at least 14 days after obtaining three consecutive negative antigen or nucleic acid test results taken at least 24 hours apart. Travelers arriving from extremely high-risk destinations including Bangladesh, Botswana, Brazil, Cambodia, Eswatini, India, Indonesia, Iran, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Turkey, the US, and Zimbabwe must present three nucleic acid test results taken at least 24 hours apart within five days of departure.

Most arrivals must pay quarantine fees, if applicable. Locals returning for the first time or traveling for specific purposes are exempt. Officials operate a closed management system with Hong Kong for cargo crews, exempting crew members from quarantine if they undergo COVID-19 testing weekly, maintain adequate health standards, and refrain from disembarking in Hong Kong.

Transport between Macau and Hong Kong remains available only via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge. Several airlines continue to suspend most international flights at Macau International Airport (MFM) amid generally reduced demand. Ferry service disruptions with Hong Kong and Shenzhen, and Shekou in mainland China are ongoing. All persons departing Macau by air or sea must carry negative COVID-19 nucleic acid test results issued no more than seven days before departure.

Advice

Follow all official instructions. Consider postponing travel to Macau if impacted by travel restrictions. Allow additional time for immigration and health screenings. Delay travel if experiencing symptoms associated with COVID-19, as they may prompt increased scrutiny, immigration delays, or mandatory quarantine. Confirm reservations and business appointments.

Resources

Macau Health Bureau (Chinese and Portuguese)
Macau Higher Education Bureau
Macau Testing Appointments