Macau’s Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre will reopen entertainment venues and remove all red and yellow zones from midnight at the start of Tuesday after reaching 12 consecutive days without recording any new COVID-19 cases within the community.

A number of venues were ordered closed and quarantine zones implemented after four construction workers tested positive to COVID-19 earlier this month. The closed venues included cinemas, theaters, indoor amusement parks, video game arcades, internet cafes, billiard and bowling rooms, sauna and massage establishments, beauty salons, gyms, health clubs, karaoke establishments, bars, nightclubs, discos, dance halls and cabarets.

However, health authorities are preparing to end the lockdown after running a new round of virus tests on Sunday for people who live in the red and yellow areas. Around 50,000 people were required to to receive a test by Sunday night, with authorities emphasizing that the aim of the new round of testing was to eliminate any possibility of hidden infections during the final stage of the COVID-19 incubation period, and to create better conditions for full resumption of normal border interactions with mainland China.

It was also revealed Friday that Macau’s immediate prevention alert status was to be terminated, while public consultation sessions on proposed amendments to Macau’s gaming have been rescheduled after a number were postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak and a typhoon.

The number of participants in each session will be reduced, so each public consultation session has now been split into two.

Public consultation sessions