Kits Gone In No Time As Free Covid Tests Start

Specimen bottles for free Covid-19 tests have been snapped up within an hour outside several public outpatient clinics on the first day of a new government scheme providing free tests for those who feel slightly unwell or have a higher risk of infection.

Twenty-two clinics are involved in the scheme with a daily quota of 110 tests each.

Long queues were seen ahead of the 7:30am opening time, with some people saying they got there as early as 3am.

There was a long queue of people waiting outside the East Kowloon General Clinic in the Wong Tai Sin district. Staff in protective gear were seen distributing test kits to those in line, and the kits were gone within 10 minutes.

One Wong Tai Sin resident told RTHK that the government acted too late, and the number of free daily tests available is not enough.

Some residents from Tsz Man Estate in Tsz Wan Shan were also in line. They said that many people in their building had contracted the new coronavirus, and despite contacting the Department of Health and their district councillors, no one had inspected their building.

Another resident also from Tsz Wan Shan also said he was standing in line because his company requires employees to test negative for Covid but they won't cover the fees for private tests.

Wong Tai Sin district councillor Wu Chi-kin, who was at the scene, also accused the government of not doing enough, saying that residents in the Tsz Wan Shan area should have been tested first when the first big outbreak happened in the area.

Wu said there are only two outpatient clinics in the area taking part in the scheme and that a daily quota of 220 tests is not enough.

Another district councillor, Carmen Lau, said she saw at least 200 in line outside the East Kowloon clinic, and that no one was observing social distancing rules.

Lau urged the government to improve arrangements – such as increasing daily test quotas for clinics, opening up more clinics, and allowing people to reserve their place by phone if they can't queue.