Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) will roll out a series of activities to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Considering these festive activities will attract large groups of audience and also to strengthen protection for its frontline staff, the Office is adopting relevant preventions and calling for active cooperation by tourism operations in response to the latest development of the novel coronavirus.

MGTO will be implementing the below preventive measures at the venue of the “Parade for Celebration of the Year of the Rat”, which will be held on the 3rd day (27 January) and 8th day (1 February) of Lunar New Year respectively:

- display posters to advise on preventive measures at the event venue and related areas, provide alcohol-based hand sanitizers for the audience, working staff and performers, as well as prepare surgical face masks on site;

- set up temperature screening at the event venue to monitor the body temperature of working staff and performers;

- once any member of the audience, working staff or performance groups has been detected to display suspected symptoms of the infection, the Office will advise the individual to wear surgical face mask and seek for medical attention at once;

- remind all working staff (including outsource company personnel) to pay attention to personal hygiene and carry out preventive measures. In case any personnel display suspected symptoms of the infection, the individual should prevent work and seek for medical attention immediately.

Aside from the two rounds of “Parade for Celebration of the Year of the Rat”, on the first day of Lunar New Year, MGTO will join hands with the Municipal Affairs Bureau to unfold Chinese New Year celebrations at the Ruins of St. Paul’s and Senado Square in addition to the golden dragon parade. The Office would like to call attention to residents and visitors who will be attending these celebratory events to pay attention to personal hygiene and health condition, while the Office will measure the body temperature of participating work personnel on the event day.

Furthermore, temperature screening is set up at the lobby of Ritz Building, which is under the management of MGTO. If any visitor display symptoms of high body temperature, the Office will advise the individual to seek for medical attention immediately. Frontline staff working at the Tourist Information counters and crowded areas are also being reminded to wear surgical face masks, while all Tourist Information counters are equipped with alcohol-based hand sanitizers. Working staff and visitors entering MGTO offices will have their body temperature measured.

Call for concerted effort by travel trade in prevention work

MGTO has arranged meetings with contractors of the Chinese New Year activities and travel trade today (22 January) respectively to communicate strengthening preventive measures and once again call for active response from tourism partners. At this moment, majority of the novel coronavirus infection cases are related to Wuhan. Although Wuhan has stopped organising outbound tour groups while local travel trade expressed that tour groups travelling to Wuhan in the coming three weeks have been stopped, to ensure thorough prevention control, MGTO has requested travel agencies to update the Office on tour groups with travellers who have visited Wuhan or Hubei province recently, as well as for hotels to report information of hotel guests coming from Wuhan or Hubei province. In addition, MGTO reminded travel trade to give extra attention when receiving visitors from Wuhan or Hubei province. In case any visitor displays suspected infection symptoms, responses and handling procedures should be carried out in accordance with the relevant guidelines immediately.

Previously, MGTO has forwarded guidelines for preventive measures issued by the Health Bureau to the travel trade. The Office has also held two briefing sessions together with the Health Bureau for the travel and hospitality professionals, with representatives from the Health Bureau to brief participants on the outbreak in the Mainland and corresponding prevention. MGTO also offered special assistance to traditional budget hotels and arranged personnel to brief them on preventive measures against the infection at their premises.

MGTO will continue to monitor the latest development and maintain close communication with the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre and the health authorities, adjust corresponding measures in a timely manner and carry out prevention control together with the support and concerted effort of travel trade, visitors and residents.

For enquiry, please contact the Center for Disease Control and Prevention Hotline at 2870 0800 or browse the Infectious Disease Information website: www.ssm.gov.mo/csr.