MACAO, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- The anti-epidemic authority of China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) said on Monday that it has tightened quarantine policies for inbound travelers due to changes in the COVID-19 situation abroad.

Starting from 10:00 p.m. local time Monday, those who have traveled to countries and regions outside the Chinese mainland and Taiwan within 14 days of entering Macao, will have to be quarantined for 21 days instead of the previous 14 days, according to the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Center of Macao.

Travelers who have completed 14 days of quarantine but within 21 days of entering Macao upon the announcement need to monitor their health conditions by themselves for seven days and take nucleic acid testing again, the center said.

As of Monday, Macao has reported no new local COVID-19 cases for over 260 days and no new imported cases for more than 170 days. All of the SAR's 46 confirmed cases have been cured.