Speaking at her daily Covid-19 press briefing on Wednesday, chief executive Carrie Lam urges Hongkongers to join the three-day mass rapid testing from April 8 to 10. The self-testing exercise is aimed at helping the government gauge the pandemic situation for resumption of classes and relaxation of social distancing measures on April 21.
According to the government, the city now has lesser cases and more capacity to tend to future infections, citing that if the three-day daily RAT exercise were to give rise to a large number of positive cases, the government would still be able to handle the situation. The three-day mass testing is a voluntary anti-epidemic exercise, and only those who test positive are urged to report to the Department of Health's Centre for Health Protection within 24 hours.
Lam stated that the city has sufficient stock of rapid antigen test kits. The anti-epidemic bags distribution to around 2.7 million households in Hong Kong is expected to be completed on April 6. Those who have yet to receive the kits can collect them at the 90 distribution facilities in the city.
The Hong Kong leader said that in the future, once the city's Covid curbs are relaxed, certain venues may require residents to undergo rapid antigen tests before entering their premises. This testing exercise will be practised in the upcoming HKDSE exams, where students will be required to show a negative Covid-19 rapid test result prior to examination. The city's frontliners, healthcare staff, and construction workers have already been regularly exercising rapid antigen testing.
The government appeals to the public that if your RAT turns out positive, earnestly report your case so that the government can provide proper support, and arrangements for face-to-face consultation may be scheduled at designated clinics. Reporting positive cases will significantly assist the city and is instrumental in assessing transmission risk.
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