MACAO - The Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) announced on Thursday to loosen border control with the neighboring Guangdong province in the mainland, given the improving COVID-19 epidemic situation in Guangdong.

Starting 10:00 am Saturday, travelers crossing the border between Macao and Guangdong will be required to present negative nucleic acid test reports effective within seven days instead of the current 48 hours, according to the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Center of Macao.

On June 7, Macao announced to tighten border control with Guangdong. Prior to that, travelers were required to present negative nucleic acid test reports effective within seven days.

As of Thursday, Macao has reported no locally-transmitted COVID-19 cases for 466 consecutive days, the center said.