In a step that suggests it is permanently enforcing testing requirements on citizens as in mainland China, Hong Kong will cut pricing and make Covid PCR tests accessible to nearly five million individuals within walking distance.
According to a statement released by the government on Thursday, the city will turn some of its mobile stations into community testing centers, creating a network of 85 facilities dispersed around the financial center. According to the report, 70% of people will be able to walk 15 minutes from their home to one of the places.
From late this month, the cost of the tests will also decrease. The price of a PCR test that returns findings in 24 hours would drop from HK$240 to HK$150 ($19). For HK$240, the general public can also choose a quicker 12-hour result collection option.
The decision to conduct cement testing in the city highlights the delicate balance that the authorities are trying to achieve between re-opening to a world that is already affected by the virus and remaining true to the zero-tolerance policy used in mainland China. The second-largest economy in the world has established a network of tens of thousands of testing booths throughout its most significant cities in order to achieve the objective of having citizens constantly within a 15-minute stroll of a swabbing point.
The indication that Covid testing is here to stay undoubtedly dampens hopes that Hong Kong will remove some of the remaining virus restrictions as it tries to regain its international reputation. Although pre-departure PCR tests and mandatory hotel quarantines are no longer in effect, travelers are nonetheless subject to severe testing requirements and movement restrictions for three days after their arrival.
In an interview last week, Lo Chung-mau, the secretary for health in Hong Kong, stated that the administration would continue to test visitors in order to identify new varieties. He claimed that the city has a duty to watch out that it doesn’t start a significant outbreak in mainland China.
The testing regulations have left Hong Kong at odds with most other places in the world along with a rigorous mask requirement, leading to appeals from industry groups for greater easing. With Hong Kong set to host a banking summit and an international rugby competition in early November, a crucial test of the performance of officials in restoring the city’s reputation looms.
According to a Friday piece in Sing Tao Daily that cited unidentified sources, Lo is opposed to a suggestion that would spare banking summit attendees from having to submit to PCR testing because they serve as the cornerstone of Hong Kong’s Covid controls. Even yet, if the government doesn’t eliminate the restriction by the time of the event, participants might not be subject to the three-day travel curb, according to the article.
