Govt Urged To Set Up More Mobile Testing Centres

The government has been urged to set up more mobile testing centres in busy districts so that workers can get tested for Covid-19 as various businesses prepare to reopen.

Officials have said that restaurants can extend dine-in service hours in the evening from Thursday, and premises including gyms, cinemas and massage parlours can reopen that day, but all their staff must be tested every fortnight.

The president of the Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades, Simon Wong, said on Tuesday that he believes over 20,000 workers from the catering sector are heading to testing centres each day, as there are some 250,000 employees in total.

He told an RTHK programme that officials should remind people that the deadline for a test is not until February 25, rather than the day the operating restrictions are eased.

Wong said officials should also set up mobile testing centres in areas where there are a lot of restaurants.

"The government should have some kind of movable testing points at certain regions, such as in Mong Kok or in Causeway Bay, where we have a lot of restaurants. This is just to help the industry workers to get tested easier," he said.

Wong also urged health authorities to be lenient, and issue warnings instead of penalties in cases of non-compliance.

"The government should treat it in a more flexible way, as this measure is new to us and it's kind of a rush."

Meanwhile, the head of the Construction Site Workers General Union, Chui Wai-kit, said mobile testing vehicles should be sent to different construction sites, as online bookings are full and there are long queues at testing centres.

Starting from February 22, all construction site workers must present a negative test result from within the past two weeks to be allowed to work.

Officials said a total of 67,120 people were tested at Hong Kong's 19 community testing centres from February 12 to 14, the first three days of the Lunar New Year.

A construction worker queuing up at one of the centres on Tuesday told RTHK that he was angry about the arrangements.

“I have to work tomorrow. If I don’t get tested, I can’t enter the construction site. That’s why everyone is angry. We are dissatisfied with senior officials because they announced this requirement all of a sudden. There are several hundred thousand construction workers in Hong Kong,” he said.

“I made an online booking for tomorrow, but I have to work tomorrow. If the queue is too long, I would go for a paid test. Might as well pay the 240 dollars,” he said.

“I'm not opposed to testing, but they should at least give a week or two grace period."

A woman surnamed Ho, who also works at a construction site, said she did not bother to get an online booking.

“They will issue the result at night. I think it’s alright. If there’s no report tonight, I will work the day after,” she said. "If there are too many people here, I'll go to another centre."

Another man surnamed Wu said the first available slot online was two days later, but since he had to return to work at a construction site on Wednesday, he went for a walk-in test instead.