News

Given the reassessment of the recent situation of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in South Korea by the Health Bureau (SSM), the Tourism Crisis Management Office (GGCT) withdraws the previously issued advice to residents of Macao, regarding avoidance of travelling to that country. The Tourism Crisis Management Office (GGCT) reminds Macao residents who plan to go to South Korea, to be aware of personal hygiene and to maintain vigilant to the recommendations issued by the health authorities. Until the present moment GGCT has received 129 requests for information. As per information collected from the Macao travel industry, Macao travel agents have relaunched tour packages to South Korea and tours may start departing in mid-August. If necessary, Macao residents can call the 24-hour Tourism Hotline: (853) 2833 3000, the Health Bureau (SSM) Hotline: (853) 2870 0800, the Chinese Embassy in South Korea: (82) 10-97249110 or the Global Emergency Call Center for Consular Protection and Services of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 24-hour hotline: +86 10 12308 for assistance.
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The University of Macau (UM) today (31 July) held a closing ceremony for the 29th Portuguese Language and Culture Summer Course in the University Hall. This is the first time that the Portuguese Language and Culture Summer Course has been held on the new campus. This year’s summer course attracted 274 students from around the world. During the three-week intensive course, participants lived with a dozen of Portuguese teachers, communicated with one another in Portuguese and had a firsthand experience of UM’s unique Portuguese culture in a residential college. All participants said that the course greatly improved their spoken Portuguese and offered them an opportunity to immerse themselves in the culture. At the closing ceremony, a student delivered a speech in Portuguese. Other participants presented what they had learned from the course through singing and dancing. One participant from the mainland city of Tianjian said the course greatly improved his spoken Portuguese and gave him an opportunity to meet like-minded friends from different universities, adding that he and his friends all liked the tranquil learning environment of the campus and looked forward to coming back to the campus to attend next year’s summer course. Another participant from the United States said that the course included a variety of interesting activities, such as Portuguese folk dance and visits to local museum, which not only enhanced the participants’ understanding of the Portuguese language and culture, but also acquainted them with the historical and cultural aspects of Macao. UM has been dedicated to producing graduates with bilingual proficiency in Chinese and Portuguese for more than two decades. Its excellent faculty team comprised of experienced scholars provide students with a multifaceted learning experience. The course has achieved the most fruitful outcomes, which is attributed to high quality curriculum, learning atmosphere in residential college, Macao’s unique multi-culturalism and leisure events. The Portuguese Language and Culture Summer Course was launched in 1986. Participants come from around the world, including mainland China, Japan, South Korea, India, Vietnam, Malaysia, Timor, Ethiopia, the United States, Hong Kong, and Macao. In addition to Portuguese classes, the course also included a variety of interesting activities, which are designed to give participants an opportunity to experience the unique blend of Chinese and Portuguese cultures in Macao and to increase their understanding of the historical, social, economic, political and cultural aspects of Macao. The course covers four levels, comprising Beginners, Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced. In the past ten years, the Portuguese Language and Culture Summer Course has trained approximately 3,000 students from around the world, among which one third are local students, making a great contribution to the fostering of local bilingual talents. This year’s course received support from the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau.
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Beijing has won the bid to host the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. On behalf of the Macao Special Administrative Region, the Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, has sent a congratulatory message to Beijing as follows: Chairman of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games Bid Committee Mayor Wang Anshun, Governor Zhang Qingwei: We are pleased to learn the good news that Beijing has succeeded in the bid for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. As citizens of China, the people of Macao are happy and excited at this encouraging moment! I hereby, on behalf of the MSAR Government and the people of Macao, extend our congratulations to the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality and its people, and pay our highest respects to you for making so much effort during the bidding process. Beijing’s success in the Olympic Winter Games bid demonstrates to the world the confidence and capability of Beijing in hosting the Games. It is also a big step forward for China, on the road to becoming a sports power in the global arena, and an achievement by China that attracts worldwide attention and wins trust and respect from the international community. Since adopting the reform and opening-up policy, China has continued enhancing its international standing, and has achieved obvious success in the economy, infrastructure construction, education, social development, people’s livelihoods and sports. Following the successful Olympic Winter Games bid, China will integrate this mega event with national development for the long-term benefit of its people. I earnestly look forward to the opening of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, and wish this athlete-focused and sustainable and cost-effective Olympic Winter Games great success!
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Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) will soft launch the “Step Out, Experience Macau’s Communities” Bus Highlight Tour through a local travel agency tomorrow (1 August) for a test run of 14 days, followed by an official launch on 15 August. Running on circular routes which connect points across the eight walking tour routes under the theme “Step Out, Experience Macau’s Communities”, the Bus Highlight Tour will make a brand new way to experience Macau. Hopping on the bus, visitors can visit different neighborhoods and attractions around the World Heritage “The Historic Centre of Macao” in a more flexible way. To promote community tourism and diversify local tourism products, the Tourist Office will present the “Step Out, Experience Macau’s Communities” Bus Highlight Tour through a local travel agency on 1 August 2015. The Bus Highlight Tour offers three routes that connect various points across the eight walking tour routes, enabling visitors to tour around different neighborhoods and the Historic Centre of Macao at their own pace. There will be a guide on board providing commentary about the sights along the bus tour. Commentary will be offered in English, Cantonese and Mandarin. Passengers can hop off at different stops for a stroll around local districts of their interest. The Bus Highlight Tour covers three circular routes A, B and C. The full circuit of Route A takes about one hour and a half with five runs a day. The stops are located at Macau Ferry Terminal, Macau Fisherman’s Wharf, Kun Iam Ecumenical Centre, Fortune Business Centre, Pousada de São Tiago and Praça de Ponte e Horta. The full circuit of Route B takes about one hour with seven runs a day. The stops include Macau Ferry Terminal, Tap Seac Square, Kun Iam Temple and Border Gate. The circuit of Route C takes approximately two hours with four runs a day. The stops are at Border Gate, Macau Ferry Terminal, Taipa Temporary Ferry Terminal, Rua do Cunha (Taipa) and Largo do Presidente António Ramalho Eanes (Coloane). For all three circular routes, the first bus will depart at 11 a.m. daily. The last bus will depart at 5 p.m. (Route C) or 5:30 p.m. (Route A and B). Visitors can sign up for the Bus Highlight Tour at Macau Ferry Terminal, Macau Fisherman’s Wharf and Border Gate (at the area between the checkpoints of Gongbei and Border Gate) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. The price is 100 patacas per person, while children at age of 12 or under and seniors at age of 65 or above can enjoy a half-price discount. With the bus pass, passengers can enjoy unlimited rides along all the routes for a whole day. MGTO has produced the leaflet (in English, Traditional and Simplified Chinese) for “Step Out, Experience Macau’s Communities” Bus Highlight Tour. Starting from tomorrow (1 August), visitors can obtain the leaflets from MGTO’s Tourist Information counters in Macau for free. They can also view or download information about the routes from MGTO’s website: http://www.macautourism.gov.mo. After launching the Bus Highlight Tour, the Office will update the relevant information on the “Step Out, Macau” Mobile App and MGTO’s Wechat account (mgtoweixin) subsequently. During the test-run period, MGTO will closely monitor the operation and running status of the bus routes while being open to listen to suggestions, followed by evaluation and adjustment on the operation. Planning to launch the “Step Out, Experience Macau’s Communities” Bus Highlight Tour officially on 15 August, the Office hopes to let visitors explore different neighborhoods in a leisure style and discover more interesting dimensions of the multi-faceted city and its enchanting glamour. For details please visit MGTO’s website: http://www.macautourism.gov.mo or make an enquiry at Tourism Hotline: (853) 2833 3000 or the travel agency’s hotline service: (853) 2872 5813.
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Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) puts on a road show titled 'Fun Summer in Macau - Tourism Carnival' in Taiwan from today (31 July) to 6 August. Through creative activities and partnering with locally-famous online illustrator, the event aims to promote Macau’s diverse elements of tourism and encourage more visitations from Taiwan to the city. The week-spanning 'Fun Summer in Macau - Tourism Carnival' currently goes on at Huashan 1914･Creative Park in Taipei. MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes; Head of Macau Economic and Cultural Office in Taiwan, Nadia Leong Kit Chi; Head of Marketing Division of MGTO, Cora Vong and MGTO's Public Relations Consultant in Taiwan, Chief Consultant Pauline Leung unveiled the carnival today (31 July). There are fun activities for visitors to complete interesting tasks, besides spectacular performances to enjoy. Taiwan’s famous online illustrator Lu’s attended the carnival’s inauguration to sign autographs for visitors, marking his first art project to team up with MGTO. During the opening, Director Senna Fernandes remarked that Taiwan stably ranks as the third biggest visitor market to Macau. Taiwanese visitor arrivals to Macau totaled 460 thousands within 2015’s first six months, keeping the record from the corresponding period of last year; the sum of Taiwanese visitors staying overnight in Macau topped 200 thousands, registering a year-on-year increase of 2.25 percent. She added that new family-friendly hotels and leisure facilities are opened in Macau this year, followed by more on the pipeline. While the market sees a boom in room supply, visitors can enjoy more various choices of entertainment and leisure travel in town. With colorful festivals and spectacular events lining up in the latter half of the year, she hopes that more Taiwanese visitors will come and experience memorable moments in Macau. The carnival is enlivened by Portuguese folk dancers and a motorsport-themed dance performance as well as other exciting performances. A giant interactive reflection of the Ruins of St. Paul's is set up for participants to take creative photos with the historic monument. Unique postcards about Macau, designed by Lu’s, are given out in the carnival. Visitors can write and mail the postcards by dropping them into the postbox on the spot. The received postcards can be kept as a souvenir after the event. After completing the fun activities, visitors can enjoy a cup of Chinese herbal tea or herbal jelly from Macau for free. They can also enter a lucky draw for a chance to win a three-day roundtrip package to Macau for two individual travelers. The Tourism Office has introduced the eight walking tour routes themed around “Step Out, Experience Macau’s Communities”, followed by launch of the “Take Selfies to Win Prizes” activity in June to promote the themed routes. The project encourages visitors to explore the hidden gems of different quarters in Macau. Interested visitors can obtain material about the themed routes from the reception counter in the carnival or enquire the travel agents for Macau tourism products during the event. To celebrate the tenth anniversary since the Historic Centre of Macao was inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2005, Macau Economic and Cultural Office in Taiwan partners with MGTO and Cultural Affairs Bureau to co-host an exhibition named “Colors of Macau – Appreciation of Macau Cultural Heritage from various angles” at Huashan 1914･Creative Park in Taipei from today (31 July) to 9 August. The exhibition showcases Macau’s achievements in heritage conservation over the past years in terms of legislation, architectural preservation and archaeological work. The exhibition also reveals the city’s continuous efforts in preservation of intangible cultural heritage as well as revitalization of historic monuments. Through the displayed photos and descriptive captions, it’s hoped that Taiwanese visitors can know more about the cultural gems in the Historic Centre of Macao. Head of Macau Economic and Cultural Office in Taiwan, Nadia Leong Kit Chi hopes that the exhibition and the MGTO promotional event 'Fun Summer in Macau - Tourism Carnival' can go hand in hand to draw more Taiwanese visitors to Macau for a profound cultural tour. The exhibits include artworks by Macau illustrators as well, giving Taiwanese residents a glimpse of the multihued, quaint cultural sceneries in Macau. A limited quantity of souvenirs is also available to exhibition guests.
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Published by the Cultural Affairs Bureau and produced by 100 Plus Cultural Creative Development Ltd., the eighth edition of C2 Magazine will be launched on 3 August. In this latest edition, a Macao comics publishing company and fledgling local cartoonists were invited to share their perspectives and opinions on the development of the animation and comics industry in Macao. Macao’s animation and comics industry is still in its early developing stage; however, a number of talents can be found in the territory. In the section “Feature”, the founder of a Macao comics publishing company with weekly publications, Matthew Fong, and Macao fledgling comic artist of C - La in Macau, were invited to discuss how works from Macao can get into the Chinese animation and comic market. There isn’t much tradition of consuming artworks in Macao, and IaoHin Gallery is one of the few private commercial galleries in Macao. In this edition, “Chit Chat” invites the director of IaoHin Gallery, Florence Lam, to share her ideas on how a gallery can attract more people to appreciate art. “Extravaganza” wraps up the 2015 edition of the Forum on Cultural Industries (Macao), in which experts from all over the world shared their opinions and experiences on how to develop the cultural industries in Macao. Recently, the Van Gogh Museum has been providing consultancy services to private museums. Experts provide consultancy in areas such as the management of famous paintings and museum security systems. In “Around the Globe”, we learn how the Van Gogh Museum provides these services to extend its financial resources. In this edition of “Blogs”, columnists Cheong Sio Pang, Lio Chi Heng, Eugenia Lo, Lam Fai, SiSi Chang, Mu Yu and Ruby Chen share their unique perspectives on the development of artistic and cultural creations. C2 is a trilingual magazine (in Chinese, Portuguese and English), published online on the first Monday of each month. Readers are welcome to browse or download the magazine at www.c2magazine.mo. The new email subscription function is now available. Please simply click the “subscribe” button on the right corner of our webpage and enter your email address to subscribe our monthly C2 magazine. For the latest updates, you may also visit the magazine’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/c2magazine.macau, or on WeChat, by clicking “add friend” and inputting “c2magazine” in the ID column. For enquiries, please contact the magazine through the email c2magazine.macau@gmail.com.
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The exhibition “Artworks by Police Officers 2015”, which is organised by the Macao Public Security Police Force (PSP) and co-organised by the Macao Foundation, will be held from 3 to 9 August at the Exhibition Hall of the UNESCO Centre of Macao located at Alameda Dr. Carlos d'Assumpção, Macao. The exhibition will feature representative works by the students of the PSP art, calligraphy and painting class including two-dimensional works such as sketches, watercolour paintings, acrylic paintings, oil paintings, Chinese paintings, calligraphy and also three-dimensional works such as wooden art pieces, ceramic, stained glass and tie-dye artworks. Our Force hopes that, through the exhibition platform at the UNESCO Centre, more members of the public and visitors can know more about the artistic standard of police officers in Macao. Police officers can also showcase their healthy quality of life and have artistic interactions and exchanges with the public with a view to promoting communication and mutual trust between the police and the public as well as building a better community together. The general public and visitors are welcome to the exhibition and admission is free. Our Force wishes to express its heartfelt gratitude for the support of different sectors. *Annex Table
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The 2015 Guangdong and Macao Branded Products Fair (GMBPF), jointly organised by Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute and the Department of Commerce of Guangdong Province opens today (30 July) at the Macau Fisherman’s Wharf Convention and Exhibition Centre. A series of trade and business discussions, leisure and entertainment activities were held and a total of 113 procurement and business matching sessions were held on the first day of the event. Official opening ceremony was held this morning with officiating guests Mr Leong Vai Tac, Secretary for Economy and Finance of Macao SAR, Mr Wu Ken, Deputy Secretary-General of the People’s Government of Guangdong Province , Mr Wang Xindong, Secretary-General of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government of the Macao SAR, Mr Guo Tao, Deputy Director-General of General Affairs Department of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of People’s Republic of China in the Macao SAR, Mr Jackson Chang, President of Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM), Mr Ma Hua, Deputy Director of the Department of Commerce of Guangdong Province, Mr Ma Iao Lai, President of the Macau Chamber of Commerce, Mr Gao Guohui, Deputy Secretary-General of Shenzhen Municipal People’s Government, Mr Yang Wenlong, Deputy Mayor of Zhongshan Municipal People’s Government, Mr Wu Guojie, Deputy Mayor of Jiangmen Municipal People’s Government, Mr Li Rifang, Deputy Mayor of Mr Yangjiang Municipal People’s Government and Mr Pan Qiang, Deputy Secretary-General of Maoming Municipal People’s Government. Prior to the official opening ceremony, the officiating guests visited the exhibition venue to have a brief encounter with exhibitors from both Guangdong Province and Macao for exchange of ideas. Fruitful Outcomes Set New Milestone for Co-operation between Guangdong and Macao Mr Jackson Chang, President of IPIM, said at his speech that Guangdong and Macao had always been co-operating closely with one another, and several breakthroughs have been achieved this year which gave rise to a new milestone. The CEPA Agreement between the Mainland and Macau on Achieving Basic Liberalisation of Trade in Services in Guangdong, and the China (Guangdong) Pilot Free Trade Zone, successively launched in the first half of this year, would largely boost the development between Guangdong and Macao, promote industrial transformation, upgrading and competitiveness of Guangdong and Macao. If Macao young entrepreneurs and enterprises could seize the historic opportunities of the “One Belt, One Road” initiative, “Internet+” and other national development strategies to expand their businesses and to look for better job opportunities, it would then effectively promote Macao’s moderate economic diversification and lay a solid foundation for sustained growth in the future. Mr Wu Ken, Deputy Secretary-General of Guangdong Province said in his speech that in recent years, both regions have endeavoured to deepen and implement the “Framework Agreement on Co-operation between Guangdong and Macao” and fostered closer economic relationship. New progress has been achieved in various projects. Despite the challenging market conditions, import and export trade between the two regions in the first half of this year hit US1.06 billion representing an increase of 3.3% year-on-year. This reflected enormous potential and ample space for mutual development in bilateral trade and sharing of resources. After years of efforts, GMBPF has, by integrating the convention and exhibition resources of Macao and the manufacturing strengths of Guangdong, earned itself a ‘golden’ reputation as the Fair for trade and economic co-operation for the two regions. GMBPF was also broadly recognized by enterprises, consumers and visitors from near and afar. Promotion Seminar to Deepen Co-operation and Exchange between Shenzhen and Macao To deepen the economic and trade collaboration between Guangdong and Macao, fully utilise the trade co-operation platform set by the GMBPF, as well as introduce the economic and trade developments and Shenzhen’s business co-operation opportunities to the industrial and business sectors of Macao and Portuguese-speaking Countries (PSCs), the Economic, Trade and Information Commission of Shenzhen Municipality oragnised the “Shenzhen-Macao Economic and Trade Seminar 2015” in the Rocks Hotel at the Macau Fisherman’s Wharf. At the meeting, Mr Gao Guohui, Deputy Secretary-General of Shenzhen Municipal People’s Government and Mr Jackson Chang, President of IPIM gave speeches and they hoped that Shenzhen and Macao will continue to maintain close trade and economic co-operation. Both parties also briefed on the outcome of the trade and economic co-operation between Shenzhen and Macao in recent years and the competitive edges of different industries. Recent economic development of Shenzhen, experience of Mainland-Macao collaboration, as well as trade and economic co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries were also discussed during the meeting. Guangdong Enterprises Make Use of the Macao Trade and Economic Platform to Explore New Markets Every year, a number of Guangdong enterprises will make use of the Macao trade and economic platform to introduce their products to the city or explore overseas markets. A first-time participating enterprise from Zhongshan has used GMBPF as the stepping stone to market fruits nationally recognised as free from substances hazardous to health such as the ‘red meat dragon fruit’, pomegranate and pineapple. As Zhongshan is in proximity with Macao geographically, this enterprise is seeking agents to mutually explore the Macao market through the economic and trade facilitation measures of Guangdong and Macao. Another first-time participant from Shunde district of Guangdong is also confident in the effectiveness of GMBPF, this Shunde enterprise is the sole manufacturer and distributor of a reputable kitchenware brand from the USA. They have brought to GMBPF 500 pieces of their bestselling fresh fruit juice blender to test the market, if favourable results could be achieved, they will consider increasing the number of products to take part in GMBPF again next year, and may also consider opening a store in Macao to help market the products abroad through the economic and trade platform of Macao. The Organiser has recorded 113 procurement and business matching sessions on the first day of GMBPF. Free Admission – Trade Visitors and the General Public are Welcome GMBPF provides business opportunities and entertainment through an array of events and activities, and offers loads of discounted products. The general public, as well as trade visitors, both home and abroad, are invited to make full use of this opportunity. Tomorrow morning, the “Promotion Seminar on the Three Centres for Trade and Economic Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries” will be held to foster exchanges and co-operation, and serves as a platform for enterprises on both sides. The entertaining ‘Celebrity Kitchen’ featuring live cooking demonstration and ‘Maria Cordeiro’s Assistant Cook Contest ’ will be held in the afternoon. Maria Cordeiro will appear at GMBPF to meet the public and to demonstrate her cooking skills. To win prizes and obtain more special offers for shopping, all are welcomed to take part in the on-site games and the special campaign “WeChat Shake” . A “3D Celebrity Cooking Pictures Studio” will be set up, an opportunity to shoot and print-for-free a personal picture with 3D images of Maria Cordeiro. Free shuttle bus service will be provided during the GMBPF from 11am to 8pm from 31 July to2 Aug (Fri, Sat, Sun). For details of GMBPF, please call +853-87989636 or visit the website at: www.guangdongmacaofair.com
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President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Ung Vai Meng and the Vice President of the Macau Ho’s Clan Association, Ho Kuai Leng received members from the Macau Films & Television Productions and Culture Association and a group of filmmaking professionals from Hong Kong on 13 July and visited Macao’s Cinemateque‧Passion and the building of the Macau Ho’s Clan. Director General Chan Lai Sze and Vice President Ho Sio Man of the Macau Films & Television Productions and Culture Association were also present, along with Hong Kong Film Directors Sam Leung Tak Sum and Fire Lee and Executive Producer Ng Kin Hung. The group visited the Cinematheque．Passion located at the Travessa da Paixão, next to the Ruins of St. Paul’s. During the visit, President Ung Vai Meng introduced the cinema’s history and layout as well as the “Historic Centre of Macao” from past to present, giving the guests a deep and intimate insight into Macao’s cultural background and helping those seeking inspiration for new film concepts. In addition, the guests also visited the building of the Macau Ho’s Clan, of which the Cinematheque．Passion is part. President Ung explained that when works on the combined cultural creation and exhibition complex of the Cinematheque．Passion and the building of the Macau Ho's Clan are complete, the space will be open to the general public. It is hoped that it will become an integrated cultural and lifestyle space that creates a new point of interest for residents and visitors and provide a display of Macao’s cultural diversity.
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To fulfil the need of the citizens and effectively exercise the functions of the CCAC to receive complaints and reports at its branch offices, the Branch Office at Taipa of the CCAC will, starting from August, adjust its office hours to Monday to Friday from 2:30pm to 7:00pm (closed on public holidays). Launched in August 2009, the Branch Office at Taipa of the CCAC originally opens from Monday to Friday between 4:00pm to 8:00pm. Over the years, statistics showed that citizens mostly used the service of the Office before 7:00pm. Therefore, in order to better serve the citizens of Taipa, the new office hours of the Branch Office at Taipa will be effective in August. It will serve the citizens earlier at 2:30pm. Establishment of branch offices is a significant step taken by the CCAC to promote integrity building. Currently, the two branch offices are located at Taipa and Areia Preta. The Branch Office at Taipa is located at Rua de Nam Keng, Edf. Nova City, Bloco 4, r/c, Loja C, Taipa (beside Pooi To Taipa Kindergarten). For enquiries or appointments of making complaints and reports, please call 2836 3636 during office hours. The Branch Office at Areia Preta, located at Rua 1.o de Maio, n.os 68-72, Edf. U Wa, r/c (Tel: 2845 3636), opens from Monday to Friday between 9:00am to 7:00pm (no lunch break).
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