The Government expected only a modest amount of tourists to visit Macao during the National Day holiday period, due to epidemic-control measures in place in Macao, said today the Chief Executive, Mr Ho Iat Seng.

He expected that the flow of tourists during the holiday period might amount to 20,000 arrivals daily, Mr Ho told reporters on the sidelines of the Government’s National Day reception.

Currently, the daily flow of visitors from the mainland was below 20,000, namely in the range of 18,000 to 19,000, the Chief Executive noted. It would take some time for arrivals to recover to a level seen before the COVID-19 pandemic, he added.

Expectations on visitor flow took into account the fact that the holiday coincided with the Mid-Autumn Festival, a time for family gatherings, thus possibly presenting people with a reason to delay an outbound trip, said Mr Ho.

He noted Macao’s requirements - in relation to the health status of visitors - were different from those in place in mainland cities. He gave as an example the fact that people moving in and out of mainland cities that were classified as of ‘low risk’ in relation to COVID-19 were exempted from providing a test certificate showing freedom from COVID-19 infection.

Also, the online method of applying for a visa under the facilitated individual travel scheme for mainland China residents wishing to visit Macao as tourists, had not yet been resumed, which might also affect mainland residents’ plans for visiting Macao, Mr Ho noted.

In comments regarding existing entry policies, Mr Ho said the Government had been maintaining close communication with the National Health Commission, concerning any scientific grounds that might arise to enable relaxation of entry policies applicable to Macao.

Macao looked forward to welcoming tourists from Hong Kong, once Hong Kong was deemed a ‘low-risk’ city. In view of current developments regarding COVID-19 in overseas countries, it would be less likely, in the short-term, that Macao would either allow foreigners to enter Macao, or foreign non-resident workers to re-enter the city, Mr Ho stated.

The Chief Executive also told reporters that the Government planned to shift from the fiscal reserve a total of 20 billion patacas in order to cover expenses relating to salaries of civil servants; and social welfare, education, and health service provision.

The Government would submit in November to the Legislative Assembly a second revision to its budget for fiscal-year 2020, in order to cover spending for the period from November to December.

The first revision to the budget, submitted in April, involved an additional 40 billion patacas, which was only sufficient to cover expenses up to October, he said. In the April revision, the Government halved its forecast for annual income during 2020 from the gaming sector, to 130 billion patacas from 260 billion patacas, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Public departments had been asked to implement a 10-percent cut in spending this year, Mr Ho noted. Due to the need to sustain support for the community, public departments were not able to make further reductions in their spending, Mr Ho added.

In response to reporters’ questions, the Chief Executive said the Government was closely monitoring the economic impact wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic, and stated that launching further economic relief measures was not a step that could benefit the city in the long run. The two rounds of relief measures that had been instituted took into account the earlier suspension of the facilitated individual travel scheme, he added.

As the facilitated individual travel scheme had resumed, the Government had no plans to introduce further relief measures. This was with a view to saving public funds, Mr Ho stated.

In other comments, the Chief Executive said the Government expected to initiate in 2021 drafting procedures for a labour union law. The Standing Council on Social Concerted Action was now reviewing a proposal – drafted by the Labour Affairs Bureau – for a public consultation on the topic. Once the standing council completed its discussions, the Government would invite the public to comment on the topic, Mr Ho said.

The Government took a neutral stance on the matter, on the basis that such a stance would help achieve balance between employers and employees, Mr Ho stressed.