Elizabeth Quat Urges Virus Test For Everyone In HK

The DAB's Elizabeth Quat has called on the Hong Kong government to consider giving everyone in the city a coronavirus test and urged the officials to seek help of mainland medics to accomplish this.

Speaking at a Legco health services panel meeting, Quat said medical professionals on the mainland have experience in mass testing, and can provide the needed equipment.

She pointed out that millions were tested in Wuhan city, where the first mass outbreak was first detected.

A fellow pro-goverment lawmaker from the Federation of Trade Unions, Alice Mak, also backed the call for widespread testing.

She said said if mainland authorities can help Hong Kong in carrying out these tests, a proposed health code programme to enable quarantine-free cross-border travel can be rolled out sooner.

Food and Health Secretary Sophia Chan said in reply that mainland companies are welcome to provide testing services in Hong Kong.

She said the authorities have done more than 7,500 Covid-19 tests every day recently – meeting the target recommended by health experts, and are looking at ways to further expand the capacity.

She said they are now focusing on suspected outbreak clusters, like in eateries, elderly care homes and among taxi drivers.