12 YEARS A-CHANGIN’ Double Down! ADVERTISING HERE +853 287 160 81 FOUNDER & PUBLISHER Kowie Geldenhuys EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Paulo Coutinho www.macaudailytimes.com.mo MONDAY T. 19º/ 23º Air Quality Good MOP 8.00 3483 “ THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN’ ” N.º 02 Mar 2020 HKD 10.00 ‘NO GOING OUT, NO CROWDING’ LAWYERS SAY BUSINESS MAY HONG KONG MEDIA TYCOON AND REMAINS THE KEY MESSAGE FROM DEMOCRACY ADVOCATE JIMMY LAI THE GOVERNMENT AS MORE OF RELY ON ‘FORCE MAJEURE’ WAS AMONG ACTIVISTS SWEPT UP MACAU RETURNS TO LIFE TODAY CONTRACT CLAUSES IN A FRESH WAVE OF ARRESTS P2 P4 P12 AP PHOTO HUBEI RESCUE MISSION Japan The last group of MACAU WILL ATTEMPT TO REPATRIATE 50 LOCAL RESIDENTS AS THE CITY about 130 crew members P6 got off the Diamond PREPARES FOR THE WORST-CASE SCENARIO: A WAVE OF NEW INFECTIONS Princess yesterday, vacating the contaminated cruise ship and ending Japan’s AP PHOTO much criticized quarantine that left more than one fifth of the ship’s original population infected with the new virus. Japanese Health Minister Katsunobu Kato told a news conference that the ship is now empty and ready for sterilization and safety checks to prepare for its next voyage. Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country’s borders with Europe were open Saturday, making good on a longstanding threat to let refugees into the continent as thousands of migrants gathered at the frontier with Greece. More on p8 Turkey Russia’s Foreign Ministry is protesting attacks on three journalists of the country’s Sputnik news agency in Turkey and their subsequent detention. Government-owned Sputnik, which operates news websites in about 30 languages, said angry mobs tried to break into the apartments of three staffers in the Turkish capital Ankara on Saturday night, threatening physical violence and demanding they stop their work. AP PHOTO Yemen’s Houthi rebels wrested control of a BLOOMBERG strategic city in the country’s north, officials said yesterday, in a major blow to the internationally recognized government and the Saudi-led coalition that backs it. Yemen, the Arab world’s poorest country, has been convulsed by civil war since 2014. The Saudi- led coalition intervened against the Houthis the Gov’t relief measures may be too Gross gaming revenue suffers following year. little, too late to save SMEs record 87% plunge in virus blow More on backpage P4-5 P3 page 2 www.macaudailytimes.com.mo MACAU 澳門 02.03.2020 mon MACAU’S LEADING NEWSPAPER NO GOING OUT, NO CROWDING tining suspected cases for 14 days should be sufficient.” Without plans to extend the quarantine period, the SSM was Government urges caution as then asked about the quaran- tine measures for cross-border students. Leong Iek Hou, coor- business, tourism services resume dinator of the SSM’s Center for ANTHONY LAM Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said that those studen- ODAY sees the full resump- ts with a home in Macau home Ttion of government offices should return to the SAR as soon and entertainment venues across as possible. “Some of them have the city after a suspension in res- gone to the mainland to visit re- ponse to the Covid-19 outbreak, latives,” she said. “But the gover- but the Health Bureau (SSM) nment has been urging them to maintains its recommendation of come back as soon as possible.” “no going out, no crowding.” Since school resumption is At yesterday’s daily press brie- unlikely to occur this month - fing of the Novel Coronavirus Res- after a new case was confirmed ponse and Coordination Center, recently in neighboring Guang- SSM Director Lei Chin Ion was dong province - students may be asked whether his team has con- sent to tuition centers, resuming tingency plans in connection to from today, for extracurricular the resumption of a series of pu- lessons for the time being. blic services and facilities. “Students returning from the In response, the director first mainland should quarantine pointed out that all previous deci- themselves for 14 days,” said sions, including this resumption, Leong. “It is a crucial measure are the fruits of comprehensive if they want to resume their tui- considerations. “It is our 26th day tion plan.” without new infections,” the di- Since the start of the Covid-19 rector said. outbreak, the SSM has conduc- He thanked all Macau residents ted nearly 3,000 Covid-19 tests for working together and staying on suspected and confirmed pa- aligned to the government’s po- tients. licies and measures to have pre- For the time being, the SSM liminarily cut off a possible com- has ordered 12,000 test kits from munity outbreak. re are a lot of private entities in If returning back to an offi- elsewhere showed incubation around the world, with a signi- “We can say that the risk of a Macau, the employees of which ce environment is inevitable, periods of up to a month or even ficant number of kits in reserve. community outbreak in Macau is need to be paid. “With sufficient the bureau director reminded longer. Leong said the procurement of very low,” the SSM director conti- preventive measures in place, I workers to maintain a meter’s Lei reminded the press brie- such test kits has not been parti- nued. “Many experts have stated think [resumption] is feasible,” distance from one another. fing attendees of the importance cularly challenging to date. the importance of the prevention said Lei. Companies should also pay of scientific data. He said there The SSM director stressed of the spread of Covid-19, but we Masks should be worn at work special attention to ventilation, was a case in which the incuba- that the Macau government is can’t paralyze the society exten- and people should refrain from which is essential to disease pre- tion period had gone up to 90 trying its best to source face- sively to achieve that.” He hinted leaving home, the director sug- vention. days. “However, [expert epide- masks globally, excluding on the that the disease may continue to gested. He also emphasized that With regards to quarantine miologist] Zhong Nanshan said mainland, because it does not exist with intermittent new infec- gathering poses significant risk. measures, the SSM was asked it was an isolated case,” the di- want to overburden the main- tions. “We can see that many cases in whether it has plans to extend rector explained. “Scientifically, land’s supply of masks. Updates He also pointed to the fact that other places were spread at gathe- the quarantine period from the incubation periods mostly last on mask sales will be given in besides government entities, the- rings,” the director said. current 14 days, given examples for three to seven days. Quaran- due course. Parish churches to partially open with new guidelines HE Macau Diocese a small number of partici- res and instructions laid Meanwhile, the Dioce- disease prevention mea- different languages. Twill partially reopen pants. down by the parishes. se encouraged the devo- sures, Bishop Stephen Lee Meanwhile, all schedu- parish churches starting Open on weekdays, These include “wearing tees to “live out the spirit issued a directive earlier led public masses in the Saturday, March 7, with these churches will only masks at all times, submi- of Sunday observance by this month to suspend pu- chapels of religious com- followers instructed to accommodate private tting to body temperature continuing watching the blic masses in the Diocese munity centers and elder- adhere to a set of guideli- prayers and small-scale checks, use of liquid disin- live broadcast of mas- from February 6 to Fe- ly homes remain suspen- nes to limit the potential religious activities, such as fectants, sitting at a con- ses at home, reading of bruary 19. However, it was ded. spread of the Covid-19 co- weekday masses, as recep- siderable distance from scripture, spiritual com- decided to continually The Procession of the ronavirus. tion of groups of pilgrims others, complying with munion, and other pious suspend public liturgical Passion of Our Lord, the According to a state- from abroad will remain the instructions of staff re- exercises such as the ro- services until March 6. God Jesus – one of the ment, Sunday masses will temporarily suspended. garding movement within sary.” The Diocese has con- church’s biggest annual remain suspended until Devotees entering the church premises, and In response to the epi- tinually provided broa- religious celebration – further notice, while pa- churches are required to observing the designated demic situation and in dcast of Sunday masses was also canceled, but the rish churches will only be comply with public epi- entry and exit,” the state- order to cooperate with online in different time mass and novena prayer opened for liturgies with demic prevention measu- ment read. the public protection and slots according to three were streamed online. 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