Tourism authorities have arranged the required quarantine rooms for Macau students stranded in HK – Macau Business

The Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) has already managed to find the required number of rooms corresponding to the requirements demanded by the Health Bureau for the about 90 Macau stranded in Hong Kong to be able to undergo quarantine upon returning.

As the tally of daily confirmed Covid-19 cases in the neighbouring SAR has surpassed 1,000 cases and continues to increase, some Hong Kongs universities have decided to conduct online learning and close dormitories, pushing non-local students, which include those from Macau, to find alternative accommodation.

MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes said this weekend that it was difficult to add a large number of rooms in medical observation hotels in the short term, in response to the increasing need of Macau students in Hong Kong to return to the SAR.

MGTO is discussing for a feasible measure with the health authorities and Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ), under the premise of meeting the SARs pandemic control requirements, Fernandes said, DSEDJ is collecting detailed information of the students, including the estimated time of return and the number of students planning to come back.

Due to the increasing need for hotel rooms brought by the recovery of local tourism and economy in the spring festival period, many hotels have little intention to be used as medical observation hotels, Fernandes added.

The MGTO added that since the hotels must adopt a strict closed-loop system with ventilation system and other facilities to meet the standard of the health bureau, they are less willing to be used as medical observation hotels.

Arrivals from Hong Kong, Taiwan or mainland China areas deemed to be of high risk can stay in either the Pousada Marina Infante, Grand Coloane Resort or the Regency Art Hotel, with any overseas arrivals having to complete the required 21-day quarantine at the Treasure Hotel.

One of the issues referred by Macau students currently in Hong Kong was the unavailability of being able to book a hotel room in the local quarantine hotels before the end of March.

In a statement issued today, tourism authorities added that a meeting was held with the Health Bureau, DSEDJ and the Transport Bureau (DSAT) to discuss interdepartmental collaboration in the organization of medical observation hotels to receive Macau students.

At the moment, DSEDJ is collecting data on the number of students who intend to return to Macau and the respective dates. Until this morning, it received information about the intention to return, in the near future, of about 90 students, the MGTO added.

While tourism authorities have already found the required number of quarantine rooms DSAT is dealing with issues related to student transport from Hong Kong to Macau.

The DSEDJ sent messages to the aforementioned students, reminding them of the need to inform them, as soon as possible and through the DSEDJ system, about their intention to return to Macau, as well as their return plan, if any, so that the related services can make an organization in accordance with the situation and concrete data.

*With Therese Tu

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Tourism authorities have arranged the required quarantine rooms for Macau students stranded in HK - Macau Business