Hong Kong, July 5 (BNA): Macau recorded 89 new cases of coronavirus on Tuesday, bringing the total to more than 900 since mid-June, as authorities in the world’s largest gambling hub race to contain its largest outbreak since the pandemic began.
Reuters reported that more than 13,000 people are under quarantine in China’s Special Administrative Region, which has been effectively closed to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
The city’s more than 600,000 residents are undergoing three citywide COVID-19 tests this week, with people also being asked to get rapid antigen tests in between.
While the former Portuguese colony has not imposed a blanket lockdown in Chinese cities like Shanghai, most facilities are closed and restaurants can only serve takeaway.
The strict measures come after Macau has been largely COVID-free since the outbreak in October 2021. It still has an open border with mainland China, where its economy is heavily dependent on an influx of Chinese visitors.
Its cases are still well below the number of daily infections elsewhere, including neighboring Hong Kong where cases have jumped to more than 2,000 a day this month.
However, in Macau there is only one general hospital, whose services are already extended on a daily basis. Officials set up a temporary hospital next to the Cotai Strip in Las Vegas to help deal with the surge in cases.
MI