Macau’s citywide coronavirus lockdown confuses and frustrates residents
- Lockdown sparks panic buying, despite authorities assuring residents there is sufficient stock of necessities
- Macau kept infections below 100 for more than two years, but faces sharp spike in cases involving Omicron subvariant
Macau’s first citywide Covid-19 lockdown has confused residents and sparked panic buying as authorities scrambled to stem its worst coronavirus outbreak so far, with nearly 1,000 residents admonished for violating rules.
From Monday, non-essential businesses must close for seven days, the first time in more than two years that casinos will shut in the Chinese gambling hub. Residents are required to stay home except when buying emergency supplies, and adults must wear masks with specifications of KN95, N95 or above.
“Omicron BA.5.1 spreads quickly,” said Leong Iek-hou, coordinator of Macau’s Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. “As long as the prevention and control efforts can’t keep up, the case number may greatly increase in a short period of time.”
The city’s law enforcement on Monday said it had issued warnings to 905 people in breach of lockdown restrictions. Most were found exercising in public areas or not wearing a mask of the right specification.
No one has been arrested for breaking the rules, but authorities have said efforts to prosecute offenders would ramp up soon.
Macau has clung to Beijing’s “dynamic-zero” Covid-19 infection strategy that aims to stifle any transmission risks once found in society. A short lockdown was ordered last week for the city of 680,000, after it recorded a sudden upsurge in coronavirus infection cases, most involving the Omicron BA.5.1 subvariant.
Before the sharp spike began in late June, the city managed to keep infection cases below 100 for more than two years.
