Tourist Arrivals in February Dropped to 427,122, a Decline of 23.3% Month
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FOUNDER & PUBLISHER Kowie Geldenhuys EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Paulo Coutinho www.macaudailytimes.com.mo TUESDAY T. 10º/ 16º Air Quality Bad MOP 8.00 3738 “ THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN’ ” N.º 23 Mar 2021 HKD 10.00 MAINLAND TOURIST HAS BEEN PJ UNFOLDS CASE OF HIRING AFTER MORE THAN A YEAR OF OVERHAUL, SEARCHED BY AUTHORITIES AND NÜWA AT CITY OF DREAMS WILL BE PLACED UNDER MEDICAL OBSERVATION OF ILLEGAL CONSTRUCTION UNVEILING ITS NEWLY REFURBISHED AT THE CLINICAL CENTRE IN COLOANE WORKERS INVOLVING 17 PEOPLE GUESTROOMS ON MARCH 31 P2 P4 P5 AP PHOTO China Bad weather prompted more than 200 Chinese fishing vessels to anchor at a reef VISITORS PLUNGE claimed by the Philippines, Beijing said yesterday, sidestepping accusations Tourist arrivals in from Manila of a move by China’s vast South China Sea maritime militia to February dropped to assert control in the area. However, China’s Foreign 427,122, a decline of Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying pointedly told reporters at a briefing that 23.3% month-to-month Whitsun Reef was part of P5 the Spratly Islands, one of the main archipelagoes in the South China Sea, which China claims virtually in its entirety. More on p6 AP PHOTO Myanmar The BBC said yesterday that a journalist from its Burmese- language service was released by authorities in Myanmar but gave no details, as protesters in the Southeast Asian nation continued their broad civil disobedience movement against last month’s military coup. The journalist, Aung Thura, was detained on March 19 by men who appeared to be plainclothes security agents while reporting outside a court in the capital of Naypyitaw. AP PHOTO U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, on his first visit to Afghanistan as Pentagon chief, said that the Biden administration BLOOMBERG wants to see “a responsible end” to America’s longest war, but the level of violence must decrease for COVID-19 MACAO CENTRAL LIBRARY “fruitful” diplomacy to have a chance. With questions swirling about how long U.S. Locals called Plan to troops will remain in the country, Austin said that “in terms of an end date on to take jabs redirect traffic or setting a specific date for withdrawal, that’s the to pave the way underground domain of my boss.” for travel scrapped More on backpage P3 P2 page 2 www.macaudailytimes.com.mo MACAU 澳門 23.03.2021 tue MACAU’S LEADING NEWSPAPER Household internet users climb New Central Library abandons to 183,500 The number of Macau plan to move traffic underground households using the internet climbed by 1,200 RENATO MARQUES year-on-year to 183,500 in 2020, according to the HE new Macao Central Library, Statistics and Census Twhich will be built on the for- Service (DSEC) - 91.9% mer site of Hotel Estoril in Tap Seac of the total households Square, will abandon its plan to AGENCY PHOTO MACAU in Macau. The tally re-direct traffic underground from of households using the Avenida de Sidónio Pais, the fiber optic broadband Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) told the connection also Times. increased by 6.5% year- In a written reply to questions on-year, accounting submitted to the bureau regarding for 80.5% of the total the project, the IC confirmed that household Internet the plan to build a new section of connections. The share the road tunnel at Tap Seac Squa- of households using re and consequently expand the mobile broadband grew Square up to the library is no longer by 0.1% point year-on- year to 98.0%. being considered. “In the early planning stage of the project of the Youth Centre of CPI drops due Tap Seac for Cultural, Recreational to declining and Sporting Activities, the cons- hotel room truction of a vehicle underpass on rates part of the Avenida de Sidónio Pais was considered so that the area of The composite the Tap Seac Square could be ex- Consumer Price Index panded and connected with the (CPI) for February land where the former Estoril Hotel dropped by 0.95% year- is situated,” the IC said. on-year to 102.6. The “The Transport Bureau was tural Affairs Bureau attaches great consultation period. “IC will in- According to the IC president, Statistics and Census asked to conduct a preliminary as- importance to public concerns corporate the relevant opinions Mok Ian Ian, the new central li- Service indicated that sessment. However, the road at the about the connection between the in the design requirements of the brary building is expected to be the drop was mainly due entry and exit of the [formerly con- Tap Seac Square and the New Ma- next phase of the project, including completed late 2024 or early 2025 to declining package tour sidered] vehicle underpass would charges and hotel room cao Central Library. Therefore, we consideration of building an [extra with a budgeted cost of around rates amid the Covid-19 have to be quite steep or [call for] a will work with the relevant depart- level in the] underground car park.” MOP500 million. The design of the pandemic. Other factors very long tunnel. This would affect ments to explore the feasibility of The idea of creating a new traffic library was recently contracted to were the seasonal sale of different roads accessing Avenida building pedestrian facilities, such underpass was first raised during the Dutch architecture firm Meca- clothing, reduced charges de Sidónio Pais, and create seve- as a footbridge or an undergrou- the presentation of the now scra- noo. for telecommunications ral complications for the transport nd passage, in order to provide the pped Youth Activity Center, which In some of the four design pro- services and lower network. Therefore, this [proposal] public with a more convenient and would have taken up a far larger posals received by the IC from dif- vegetable prices, and can hardly be achieved in the short safer environment.” area. This included the use of land ferent architecture companies, the falling prices of gasoline, term.” The bureau also acknowledged currently occupied by the Estoril expansion of the square to the pe- pork and vegetables from Addressing questions regarding that some of the accessibility and Swimming pool, which would have rimeter of the building was consi- their elevated levels a the accessibility of the new buil- traffic-related concerns had also been relocated to a different part of dered, transforming the road into a year ago. ding, the IC added that “The Cul- been expressed during the public the building. pedestrian and garden area. tered with a NAT which had negative results. Mainland tourist apprehended and placed Health authorities also said that, so far, all NATs have been negative, mea- under medical observation in Coloane ning the risk of infection is not high and that the RENATO MARQUES virus Response and Coor- ch 9 to the Eighth Hospi- to the Special Emergen- dergo mandatory medi- man from Xi’an represen- dination Center reported. tal in Xi’an for surveillan- cy Service of the Conde cal observation in isola- ts a low risk for Macau. 52-year-old man The actions from local ce and monitoring, the de São Januário Hospital tion. The authorities also A from Xi’an was sear- health authorities were health authorities infor- Center to undergo a nu- The authorities also said they recorded in- ched by the police au- taken after a report from med, highlighting that cleic acid test (NAT). identified a friend of this formation from guests thorities in Macau and Zhuhai’s Municipal Heal- he was not considered a Results from the test man and the taxi driver staying on the same floor placed under medical th Department claiming close contact person of a were negative for Co- who transported him at MGM Cotai and ho- observation at the Public that the man, who ente- Covid-19 patient. vid-19 but the man was from the border post to tel staff who might have Health Clinical Centre in red Macau last Saturday After being located in still transported to the the MGM Cotai Hotel, been in contact with the Coloane yesterday mor- (March 20) has been pre- the early hours of Mon- Public Health Clinical where he was staying. man for follow-up, if ne- ning, the Novel Corona- viously admitted on Mar- day, the man was taken Centre in Coloane to un- Both were also adminis- cessary. www.macaudailytimes.com.mo EDITOR-IN-CHIEF (DIRECTOR)_Paulo Coutinho [email protected] A MACAU TIMES PUBLICATIONS LTD PUBLICATION ASSISTANT EDITOR_Lynzy Valles SENIOR WRITER_Honey Tsang CONTRIBUTING EDITORS_Leanda Lee, Severo Portela, Sheyla Zandonai ADMINISTRATOR AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Kowie Geldenhuys [email protected] NEWSROOM AND CONTRIBUTORS_Albano Martins, Annabel Jackson, Anthony Lam, Daniel Beitler, Emilie Tran, OFFICE MANAGER Juliana Cheang [email protected] REACHING OUT! 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