Govt Urged To Force Taxi Drivers To Take Covid Tests

The government has been urged to consider mandatory coronavirus tests for the territory's taxi drivers after four were confirmed to have the virus on Thursday.

Ho Chi-keung, who leads the taxi division of the Motor Transport Workers General Union, told an RTHK programme that there had been a lukewarm response to voluntary testing programmes for taxi drivers, with only 30 to 40 percent taking part.

Ho, who said sometimes it is difficult for taxi drivers to disinfect their vehicles after every trip, suggested compulsory tests should be introduced.

“Mandatory tests could identify virus carriers with no symptoms and prevent them from spreading the virus in the community,” he said.

Meanwhile, an infectious disease expert from Chinese University, David Hui, said the situation is worrying as it is unclear where the taxi drivers contracted the virus and whether they had passed it on to any of their passengers.

“If we continue to see more taxi drivers coming down with the infection, and their response to voluntary tests is not good, we have to consider mandatory tests,” he said.