Covid-19 Test Scheme Will 'get HK Back To Normalcy'

The vice-chair of the Basic Law Committee, Maria Tam, on Sunday urged people to take advantage of the universal Covid-19 testing scheme, to help get the SAR return to normality "well before Christmas".

She said the citywide testing scheme, which will see 141 testing sites around Hong Kong staffed by thousands of medical professionals, will help the city recover from the pandemic and kick-start the economy.

Speaking on RTHK's Letter to Hong Kong, Tam said mainland support would be vital - but the SAR needs to get the outbreak under control first.

Tam said large scale testing to find the hidden sources of infection is a must.

She cited the example of what happened in Shenzhen in mid-August, when a supermarket employee was infected with Covid 19. In 96 hours over 300,000 people in Shenzhen were targeted and tested and the infection contained.

Over 1,400 medical workers and 3,000 supporting personnel were mobilised and, what she said was most important, the residents queued up patiently to take the test, which some here have criticised, saying the scheme has come a bit late and the government has missed the best time to curb the spread in the community.

Tam added that if people here get tested they will get the result back in a couple of days.

And she predicted that Hong Kong would return to normalcy well before Christmas. Businessmen, professionals, students, holiday-makers, tourists will all be criss-crossing the border.

She said towns and businesses along the entire border will come to life again. Tam urged everyone to "walk that extra mile" to take the test and put the buzz back in our city.