Photo: Xinhua

 
News of tourism re-opening of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) is a huge victory over COVID-19. It also champions Macao's second system implementation of the "One Country, Two Systems" principle, according to legal and medical experts. 

Macao stands in stark contrast to how Hong Kong handled the coronavirus crisis owing to the chaos of subversives — who will now be sorted out by the new national security law there. 

As of July 15, Macao will carefully re-open to travelers from the Chinese mainland without requiring them to undergo 14-days of mandatory quarantine. 

Meanwhile, new COVID-19 cases are emerging in Hong Kong for unknown reasons as the menacing forces there posture for media attention and instill local chaos and fears. There seems to be both causation and correlation with chaotic scenes in Hong Kong and the prolonging of the pandemic. 

Macao by contrast is all about real solutions with law and medicine with social harmony. This course of action is saving the backbone of the gaming industry. Even US companies in Las Vegas owe a debt of gratitude to this as their stocks surged on news of Macao opening. 

Macao's success with the "One Country, Two Systems" framework explains this in both medical and legal ways. 

Dr. Billy Chan, co-founder of the Sino-Portuguese (Luso) International Medical Forum, commented that "The Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Center of China's Macao Special Administrative Region did a fabulous job in providing sufficient viral nucleic acid testing, and continues to assess the risks for testing people entering Macao."

Chan also remarked, "The ingenious idea of introducing the new mobile phone app Health Code and working with Guangdong authorities means that citizens can move safely. It is indeed relatively simple to convert the new Health Code for the second time or later. There will be less information to fill in and the process time is much faster."

Former Macao government lawyer and current independent attorney Dr. Carlos Lobo notes that, "The early measures adopted by Macao saved everyone. This was done owing to the new Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng effectively using the 'two systems' function of the 'One Country, Two Systems' framework without having to change course."

By comparison, Hong Kong was unable to stem the spread of the virus (Macao has had fewer than 50 cases of COVID-19 and no deaths) because of how radicals and separatists led its silent majority astray owing to foreign interference since last summer. 

Dr. Lobo added, "Macao is working well in coordination with both. This is why we can open now successfully. Both systems function fine here. There was no need for the tools of the first system because Macao is well equipped with the second system."

It is evident all eyes are watching how Macao moves back to success as Hong Kong sadly falters and perhaps digresses. The latter can be clearly associated with those who have sparked chaos in the city since last year.  

Staying sharply in tune with what happened in the mainland and reacting swiftly is a key reason why Macao will be the model city in Asia and the world to open with confidence to welcome back visitors and normalize international travel.

Make no mistake. The sacrifices made in Macao in economic terms have been huge. These have sadly pushed the city to hardship with untold jobs lost. But these were necessary sacrifices to be made to save everyone here. This fact cannot be emphasized enough: No one in the Macao SAR has died of COVID-19. There have been fewer than 50 cases. This is valor at its finest. 

Whenever a threat to health has arisen, Macao has reacted with lightening speed. This is why many feel Macao is a far better bet than its sorry sibling over in Hong Kong.


The author is a copy editor with the Global Times. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn