Tens Of Thousands Register For Free Covid-19 Test

More than 110,000 people signed up for the universal Covid-19 testing programme by noon as the registration for the voluntary scheme kicked off, the government said on Saturday.

Registration opened at 7am, and people who want to enrol for the free test need to provide their names, Hong Kong identity card number and contact number.

They will then be asked to select their preferred testing centre, pick a date and a time slot, between 8am and 8pm, to have their nasal and throat samples collected.

The registration process takes around two to three minutes.

In the frequently asked questions page, the government stressed that the test kits can’t be used for DNA identification of sequencing and no such information of the participants will be collected during the testing process.

People will also need to sign a statement acknowledging that their personal information would be used for follow up if they are tested positive for Covid-19, but the data won't be passed to the testing institutions. It added that all of their information would be deleted 30 days after the scheme ended.

Citizens aged 60 or above or those who need special assistance can seek assistance from post offices or the management offices of their public housing estates to register for the tests.

The Civil Service Secretary Patrick Nip, who’s in charge of the programme, again called on people to get tested in order to find asymptomatic carriers.

He told Commercial Radio that as Hong Kong familiar itself with testing, and with an increased testing capacity, the government would not have to resort to closing the border and strict social distancing measures to suppress outbreaks in the future.

Nip said that can be done by enhanced contact tracing and rapid mass testing.

On a RTHK programme, he also hit out at people who "demonise" any issues that involve Beijing, citing the community testing scheme as an example.

He said it's perfectly fine if experts question the government's policies, and people can judge for themselves if the attacks are based on facts.

Nip stressed that all the samples collected will be destroyed after the scheme is completed.