Free coronavirus test to be offered to all Hong Kong residents.
In the next two weeks, Hong Kong will be offering a free COVID-19 test to all its 7.5 million residents, says Chief Executive Carrie Lam.
This voluntary testing will be done by experts coming from mainland China and other private laboratories. The identities of residents who want to undergo the testing will also be hidden from the public and will only be known to the Department of Health officials.
In an aim to expand the testing, even those foreign domestic helpers currently situated in boarding houses of their employment agencies will also undergo the testing. Chief Lam is appealing for the support of the public as testing plays a very important part in the early detection of the virus, thus, isolation and treatment will then follow for those infected individuals.
The mass testing is also a voluntary exercise and added that “if people still have a concern, they do not have to come forward.”
“We understand the public may have different comments, but this time, it’s a matter of life. I hope society could value science and evidence, and stop all kinds of conspiracies and smearing, especially when it’s the government who seeks the mainland’s help this time,” says Lam pertaining to the critics who have doubts on the testing especially because it is led by the mainland China.
Furthermore, Lam said that mass testing is to help curb further spread of COVID-19 as the number of cases is starting to surge again.
Source: SunWeb HK
