Doctors Can Demand Covid Tests From Saturday
"); jQuery("#212 h3").html("
"); jQuery(document).ready(function() { jwplayer.key='EKOtdBrvhiKxeOU807UIF56TaHWapYjKnFiG7ipl3gw='; var playerInstance = jwplayer("jquery_jwplayer_1"); playerInstance.setup({ file: "https://newsstatic.rthk.hk/audios/mfile_1562101_1_20201126153606.mp3", skin: { url: location.href.split('/', 4).join('/') + '/jwplayer/skin/rthk/five.css', name: 'five' }, hlshtml: true, width: "100%", height: 30, wmode: 'transparent', primary: navigator.userAgent.indexOf("Trident")>-1 ? "flash" : "html5", events: { onPlay: function(event) { dcsMultiTrack('DCS.dcsuri', 'https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1562101-20201126.mp3', 'WT.ti', ' Audio at newsfeed', 'WT.cg_n', '#rthknews', 'WT.cg_s', 'Multimedia','WT.es','https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1562101-20201126.htm', 'DCS.dcsqry', '' ); } } }); }); });
2020-11-26 HKT 12:52
Share this story
Health Secretary Sophia Chan said from Saturday onwards, doctors will be given the power to order patients with Covid-19 symptoms to undergo mandatory tests.
Speaking to reporters after attending a Chief Executive question-and-answer session in the Legislative Council on Thursday, Chan urged people to abide by their doctors' instructions, saying getting tested early is crucial to stopping silent transmissions within the community.
She added that private doctors are generally receptive of the idea, and have agreed to work closely with the government on the matter.
She had earlier said that there wouldn’t be a rigid definition of who should be tested, but "doctors must act according to their professional judgement."
If a patient refuses to take a test, they could end up with a HK$25,000 fine and up to six months in prison.
The health chief added that over the next few days, five more testing centres at the Lai King, Tuen Mun, Fanling, Hang Hau and Yau Tong community halls will begin operation to cater for an expected surge in demand.
Specimen bottles will also be distributed at the territory's 121 post offices from Saturday.
The latest arrangements come as sources say Hong Kong will record 82 new coronavirus cases on Thursday.
Vietnam And South Korea Launch Cross-Border QR Payments
Vietnam and South Korea have launched cross-border QR payments that allow Korean users to pay merchants in Vietnam thro... Read more
WeChat Pay Integrates With Local QR Networks In 5 Asian Countries
WeChat Pay has integrated its service with national QR code networks in five Asian countries, simplifying cross-border ... Read more
Global Transition Finance Ecosystem Gains Momentum
The global transition finance ecosystem is gaining momentum. According to new research by the Hong Kong Institute for M... Read more
Banking Circle Taps PayGate To Ease KRW Cross-Border Payments Into South Korea
Global payments bank Banking Circle will now handle cross-border transactions and settlement flows for South Korean pay... Read more
Equinix AI Discovery Hub Opens In Hong Kong For Enterprise AI
Digital infrastructure company Equinix is partnering with Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) to launch the Equinix AI Dis... Read more
Tencent, Alibaba Eye DeepSeek Stake As AI Startup Tops US$20B Valuation
Chinese tech giants Tencent and Alibaba are in discussions to invest in AI startup DeepSeek, The Information reported, ... Read more