Govt To Boost PCR Testing Capacity: Lo Chung-mau

Health Secretary Lo Chung-mau said on Friday the government will not “lie flat” in the face of a resurgence of Covid-19 cases, saying it's working towards increasing the capacity of PCR tests in a bid to stop transmission chains.

Lo was speaking at a Legco panel meeting where he briefed lawmakers about the government’s anti-epidemic measures.

“The government will raise the capacity of PCR tests. We shall enhance the speed, accuracy and efficiency. We will try to be as fast, as cheap and as accurate as possible. We would 'normalise' PCR tests,” he said, while pointing out the people rely heavily on rapid tests now.

The health chief also said that social-distancing measures will stay in place for the time being.

When asked whether the government would relax quarantine requirements for inbound travellers, Lo said officials don't have a plan yet.

There have been calls, for example, to allow arrivals to spend four or five days at a quarantine hotel – down from seven at the moment – to be followed by several days of self-isolation at home.

“We can consider all these proposals, but then we must have evidence to support those proposals. If we don’t do that, we might see a rebound of the epidemic. We would proceed based on the data collected,” said Lo.