People Queue At Harbour City For Mandatory Tests

A large queue of people seeking coronavirus tests formed at Harbour City in Tsim Sha Tsui on Monday morning, amid fears a highly infectious strain of the virus is spreading in the community.

The government ordered a mass-testing exercise after somebody believed to be carrying a mutated form of the virus visited the shopping mall on April 11.

People who went to Harbour City on the same day, as well as staff there, are required to get tested for Covid-19 by Tuesday. A mobile testing station has been set up in the mall's car park.

A man in the queue, surnamed Yu, told RTHK that he wanted to take the test before he went to work, although he wasn’t worried about being infected.

"I was on my way to work and on the bus I saw the news that I am subject to the mandatory testing order because I've been to Harbour City, so I came. I'm not too worried because I didn't eat there and didn't take off my mask," he said.

But a woman surnamed Chan said she was concerned as she spent two hours with her children at a restaurant in the mall, and another half an hour at a shop there.

“I’m quite nervous now. I think the tests have come too late as it has been a week since April 11. I've already met other friends,” she said.

The government said the mass-testing is needed to help prevent the spread of the N501Y mutation in the community.