Macau has registered 357 new coronavirus cases since the new outbreak, media reports say
A priest celebrates a livestreamed Mass in Macau. (Photo: Jornal O’Clarim)
Macau Diocese has closed all churches and suspended public Masses until further notice as the former Portuguese colony grapples with a new outbreak of Covid-19.
“All churches will be closed indefinitely. We ask those who wish to participate in daily Mass online to go to the website of the diocese and attend livestreamed Mass from our YouTube channel. We will have livestreamed Mass every day,” said Father Daniel Rebeiro, parish priest of the Cathedral of the Nativity of Our Lady, Catholic weekly Jornal O’Clarim reported.
The priest also announced that the parish has shifted the ceremony of the Sacrament of Communion from June 19 to September.
This is the third time churches is Macau have closed doors since the first outbreak of the pandemic hit the Chinese-ruled territory more than two years ago.
The first closure came when Macau detected the first infection on Jan. 22, 2020, and churches reopened in March after authorities lifted the restrictions. The second closure came in August that year and lasted for about two weeks.
Macau had earlier recorded 129 cases and no deaths from the pandemic, and its estimated 700,000 residents had been through a mass testing system under the nucleic acid test (NAT).
The authorities have designated 61 stations for NAT testing including several church-run institutes such as St. Joseph’s Higher Secondary School and Matteo Ricci College
However, in recent weeks cases have increased sharply, which is believed to be thanks to a spillover from mainland China where authorities have been struggling to contain rising cases for months.
Since the new outbreak, Macau has recorded 357 new cases, prompting authorities to impose shutdowns and another round of NAT testing for all residents during a 33-hour program from June 27-28, reported Macau Business newspaper.
Macau’s administation has imposed restrictions including the closure of bars, cinemas, hair salons and outdoor parks from June 23. Casinos are allowed to remain open while theaters, fitness centers and leisure facilities must halt operations, stated a circular from Macau chief executive Ho Iat Seng.
The authorities have designated 61 stations for NAT testing including several church-run institutes such as St. Joseph’s Higher Secondary School and Matteo Ricci College.
Macau, dubbed “the Las Vegas of the East” for its glittering gaming and gambling industry, is a special administrative region of China. It was a Portuguese colony from 1557 until its handover to China in 1999. With an estimated 21,000 people per square kilometer on the 33 square kilometer island, Macau is one of the world’s most densely populated places.
Macau was hit hard when Covid-19 struck, closing the entertainment industry for months and leaving thousands of migrant workers without jobs and income.
Charity groups such as Caritas Macau joined with the government to provide food and cash to migrants left marooned due to the strict lockdowns.
Macau Diocese covers the entire island and has about 30,000 Catholics in nine parishes.
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