Gaming enthusiasts from Hong Kong will finally be able to enter Macau without the need to undergo quarantine upon arrival as the so-called “blue health code” program is all set to come into effect. Macau, a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China renowned for its world-famous casinos, remained an isolated enclave for several months as the local government restricted entry of outsiders as part of its efforts to prevent COVID-19 pandemic from spreading further.

The Macau Novel Corona virus Response & Coordination Center has developed a Health Code mobile app in partnership with Hong Kong authorities. The blue health code system has been designed to allow Hong Kong residents, who are fully vaccinated and have tested negative for COVID-19 in the past 48 hours, to enter the enclave with no need to undergo medical observation.

According to the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO), 51 hotels collectively offering nearly 2,700 hotel rooms have already signed up to take part in the blue health code program. But, officials neither revealed the names of the hotels that have signed up for participating in the blue health code program, nor they revealed how many of them have casinos.

However, there is no exact date for the implementation of the program as Macau officials have announced that the program will be initiated only when both Macau and Hong Kong will experience 14 full days of no new case of COVID-19 infection. The last reported new case of COVID-19 infection was reported on 28th of June when the Chinese SAR confirmed that a twenty-year old woman tested positive after her return from Singapore.

Hong Kong residents will need to download the Macau Health Code mobile app and upload documents related to their full vaccination. Once approved, an individual seeking to enter Macau must undergo a COVID-19 nucleic acid test. The person will be allowed to enter the enclave only on receiving a negative test result.

Once all those steps are completed, the person’s Macau Health Code app will show a blue code at the enclave’s border gate. Visitors will be granted access, but they will be required to go immediately to their hotels. Such guests must remain inside the hotel. Individuals with blue code will be allowed to dine and gamble within the property without wearing face masks, but swimming pools and some other high risk areas will not be opened to them.