In response to a rumour circulating on the Internet that the husband and the son of a confirmed case had been assisted by Health Bureau staff to have their health code changed from red to green for an hour so that they could leave the quarantine station of the Community Treatment Centre (Macao East Asian Games Dome) by taxi, the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre clarifies that the health code of co-living family members of a positive case cannot be converted to green.

Co-living family members of positive cases are classified as close contacts and must be subject to 8 days of medical observation and 2 days of self-health management. They must not leave until the completion of relevant management and control measures, and their health code cannot be changed to green during this period. Therefore, the situation described in the rumour is untrue.

The Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre vehemently appeals to all sectors to fight the epidemic together. At this critical moment of combating the epidemic, do not forward or believe in unsubstantiated information, which can lead to unnecessary fear in the society. Individuals spreading rumours maliciously shall be guilty of an offence.

All news about the epidemic will be disseminated through the Government Information Bureau, the Special Webpage against Epidemics and other official channels.