The Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre has confirmed on Monday (30 March) two new cases of imported COVID-19 infection, taking to 41 the tally of confirmed cases in Macao.

The 40th case involves a 47-year-old female Macao resident, who was returning from the United Kingdom. The 41st case of confirmed infection was the woman’s son, a 20-year-old male Macao resident, who had been studying in the United Kingdom.

On 26 March, the two boarded Cathay Pacific Airways flight CX250 from London to Hong Kong. Their seat numbers were 22A and 22G. On the evening of 27 March, they took a Government-chartered coach to Macao from Hong Kong International Airport via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao (HKZM) Bridge to the HKZM Bridge’s Macao boundary crossing area.

During checkpoint formalities at HKZM Bridge’s Macao boundary crossing area, they were each directed to observe – under the Macao epidemic-control measures in place at that point – a 14-day period of medical observation at Royal Dragon Hotel. Each of them conducted on 31 March a nasopharyngeal swab test, which confirmed their COVID-19 infection.

The two patients are now being kept in isolation for treatment at Conde S. Januário Hospital. They are described as showing mild clinical signs of infection relating to the novel coronavirus.

The four people who travelled with the two patients have been classified as persons in close contact with the confirmed patients. They have been taken to the temporary centre for quarantine for a 14-day medical observation.

There are 31 patients in Macao confirmed currently to have COVID-19 infection and who are being kept in isolation for treatment at either Conde S. Januário Hospital or Public Health Clinical Centre. The 10 previously-confirmed cases in Macao have all been discharged after receiving treatment at Conde S. Januário Hospital.