Macao, China

Government responses

Continued access to goods and services

• [2 February 2020] All community and daytime social service facilities have suspended operations, but people with special needs could seek for necessary assistance from the facilities.
• [15 February 2020] Essential services by the Social Welfare Bureau have been continued, including, among others, the application for the Disability Subsidy and the Disability Assessment Registration Card, individual and family counselling services, urgent intervention services, support services for users of residential facilities, and the inspection of social service facilities.

Accessible public information

• [6 February 2020] The Social Welfare Bureau has coordinated with the Teledifusão de Macau (TDM) and the Macao Voice Association to provide sign language interpretation services during the daily COVID-19 press conferences on the TDM channel.

Medical and quarantine policies and processes

• [26 May 2020] Four categories of people have been added to the Macao’s nucleic acid testing scheme for COVID-19, including holders of the Macao Disability Assessment Card and the Macao Medical Assistance Card for Special Patients.

Social protection and employment support

• [13 February 2020] The payment of benefits would be continued via bank transfer, including disability pensions.
• [13 February 2020] To receive pension payments, all old-age and disability pension beneficiaries must provide proof of life each year. The provision of proof of life was extended to the end of March 2020.
• [10 July 2020] In March, the Social Welfare Bureau gave an extra payout to around 3,200 families regularly receiving financial support. In April and May, the Bureau also granted a special subsidy to single parents, those suffering from chronic illnesses and persons with disabilities.
• [12 April 2021] The Macau government has begun issuing its annual revenue sharing payments early to persons with disabilities among other groups in order to alleviate the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last modified: 6 May 2021