Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Monday, Sep 29, 2025

Macau leader sorry over chaos of universal Covid-19 tests

Macau leader sorry over chaos of universal Covid-19 tests

Residents complained about the government’s poor planning as long queues formed outside test centres and the health app crashed.

Macau leader Ho Iat-seng has apologised for the chaos and confusion over the city’s universal Covid-19 testing scheme, which he blamed partly on the abrupt border policy changes overnight by the neighbouring mainland Chinese city of Zhuhai.

Macau authorities on Tuesday night called for the city’s estimated 680,000 residents to take a Covid-19 test within three days, starting from Wednesday.

The announcement came after the gaming hub’s 491-day record of having no infections ended when a family was confirmed to have caught the highly infectious Delta variant of Covid-19.

But anxious residents began waiting outside the 41 test centres before dawn, resulting in long queues throughout the day.

At the test centre at Macau Pui Ching Middle School, there were constantly more than 100 people in the queue the whole morning.

One woman told TV reporters: “I came around 6am and am still in the middle of the queue after waiting for more than three hours.”

Another resident complained: “Some people who have not made bookings online for the test just showed up to queue. It is totally unfair to us who have made advance bookings. It is a total mess.”


An 80-year-old woman, who showed up with her 90-year-old husband, broke down after learning they had been in a wrong line.

“We waited for hours but were told by the officers that we were in the wrong queue. They asked us to go to line up elsewhere,” she said. “What have we done to deserve this treatment? Can the government not make more sensible arrangements?”

Others said that only Chinese-language notices were put up at the centres.

The Covid-19 test is essential for Macau residents because a negative nucleic acid test certificate – which is saved in the official health code mobile app – is needed for those who plan to leave and enter Macau through Zhuhai or other checkpoints.

Residents also need the app to generate a colour code under the health code system to enter most public places and access public services.

But it crashed throughout the morning.

There were also reports that residents had started emptying shelves at supermarkets.

The scenes of chaos were rare as Macau has been regarded as a model example in containing Covid-19. Tourism has bounced back in the casino hub since May. It has repeatedly snubbed Hong Kong for a “travel bubble” between the two cities to keep residents safe.

Macau’s Chief Executive Ho Iat-seng.


In a press conference on Wednesday, Ho accepted responsibility for the confusion. “I have to say sorry to all residents,” he said.

Ho said the app crashed because officials had rushed to update the software when Zhuhai tightened its border rules to require travellers entering or departing the mainland city to present negative Covid-19 test results issued within 12 hours, instead of 24 hours.

“They changed it suddenly. So we had to make the corresponding change and update the system software,” Ho told reporters.

“But some problems occurred when we did the update. It is out of our control. If not for Zhuhai’s changes, we should have been running smoothly.”

The app was reportedly fixed around 3pm on Wednesday.

Macau upgraded its epidemic prevention measures on Tuesday after a local family of four was confirmed to have caught the Delta variant of Covid-19. The parents were said to have been vaccinated.

Ho said he hoped to contain the local Covid-19 situation within 14 days, so that “normal life” could resume. But the government would call for another round of universal tests if needed, he said.

It was first reported by the Zhuhai health authorities that a couple from Macau had tested positive for Covid-19 there. They returned to Macau on Monday.

The couple’s son and daughter subsequently tested positive for the Delta variant.

It was believed the 12-year-old daughter – who had gone to Xian via Zhuhai last month on a study tour – was the source of the outbreak. She reportedly showed symptoms while in Xian but did not report them to the health authorities before returning to Macau on July 25.

Macau has classified the daughter as an imported case and her three family members as import-related cases.

The authorities also told the Hong Kong government that a close contact of the daughter had returned to Hong Kong with two family members on Monday, triggering an epidemiological investigation and compulsory testing in multiple places in Jordan and Tsim Sha Tsui.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
Top AI Researchers Are Heading Back to China as U.S. Struggles to Keep Pace
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Trump and Starmer Clash Over UK Recognition of Palestinian State Amid State Visit
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Did the Houthis disrupt the internet in the Middle East? Submarine cables cut in the Red Sea
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
×