The first batch of anti-pandemic materials donated by the Macao Special Administrative Region Government arrived Jan 17 in the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin. They will be distributed to five hotels assigned as quarantine sites and frontline medical staff members fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic on the island.

Macao donations arrive in Hengqin on Jan 17 [Photo by Chen Xiucen / Zhuhai Daily]

Thanks to the highly efficient Hengqin-Macao communication mechanism for joint pandemic prevention and control, the donated supplies, including 10,000 pieces of medical protective clothing, 10,000 N95 masks, and 10,000 pairs of medical gloves, were collected and delivered by Macao in just one day upon receiving Hengqin's request for assistance.

To assist in curbing the spread of the disease in the city, Hengqin has accepted nearly 600 close and secondary close contacts from Xiangzhou District for centralized quarantine as of the evening on Jan 16. 

Staff members from Macao social organizations, such as the Hengqin Comprehensive Service Center of the General Union of Neighborhood Associations of Macao and Guangdong liaison office of the Macao Women's Federation, have volunteered to serve at nucleic acid test sites in the cooperation zone since Jan 14. 

Hengqin will establish a joint working mechanism with Macao for emergency command as well as prevention of fire, disasters, and accidents. An integrated Hengqin-Macao operation pattern will also be formulated, according to Ye Zhen, deputy director of the Hengqin Office of the People's Government of Guangdong Province.