Tai Po Councillors Slam Test Centre Location

A group of Tai Po district councillors staged a protest outside one of the Covid-19 sample collection centres calling on people to boycott the universal test scheme on the eve of the scheme's launch.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, the group expressed concerns that five of the specimen collection centres in the district were too close to residential areas, and one of them – the Tai Po Hui Sports Centre – is fully booked for swab collection on Tuesday.

District councillor Richard Chan pointed out that the Tai Po Hui Sports Centre is located inside the Tai Po Complex, which also contains several government offices and also the wet market where a lot of people go.

Another councillor, Nick Lam, said he was worried about the increased risk of cross infection, given that the complex is also close to the train station and that a lot of people come to Tai Po to do their grocery shopping.

Fellow councillor Max Wu from the Neo Democrats also echoed similar sentiments, and called on the government to explain why they would set up a community testing centre in a building that would contain a lot of people.

The group said they will propose a temporary motion at a district council meeting on Tuesday, calling on the government to stop using the complex as a test centre and consult residents on the best place for it to be located.