Taxi Drivers Want Coronavirus Tests To Be Cheaper

The Hong Kong Taxi Council has urged the government to make Covid-19 tests cheaper and more widely available for drivers, and a spokesman for the catering sector also warned that business is likely to fall because of the outbreak.

Speaking on a radio programme on Saturday, the council's vice chairman, Ng Kwan-sing, said its business had fallen after several drivers were diagnosed this week.

The government said earlier this week that bottles would be distributed to all taxi drivers to collect their saliva samples for tests after three more drivers a couple of drivers were confirmed to have Covid-19 on Thursday.

The Health Secretary, Sophia Chan also said that the authorities would discuss with the taxi trade how to carry out coronavirus tests in phases because of the large number of drivers in the sector.

Separately, a catering industry representative estimated that the catering sector may experience a 20 to 30 percent drop in business this month compared to last year.

The President of the Federation of Restaurants and Related Trade, Simon Wong, called on the government to tighten its limits for the sector again if the spread of the virus worsens, - even though it would hit business.

"We have to strike a balance between the economy and also fighting the virus," Wong said.

However, Hong Kong had to put the public's health first, Wong said.

If the pandemic continued to spread, all industries would be affected, he said.