Explainer | Getting tested for Covid-19 in Hong Kong? Here’s what you need to know
- The city’s one-off free universal testing scheme began on September 1
- Public are urged to preregister and pick a testing centre close to where they live or work
Here’s what you should know:
Who should get tested?
Most Hong Kong residents – both permanent and non-permanent – who hold a valid identity card or birth certificate are eligible to join the programme, but not everyone is deemed suitable.
The scheme involves taking samples from the nasal cavity and throat, which means people who have undergone operations in those regions are not fit for the test. Children under the age of six are also excluded.
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Hong Kong’s mass Covid-19 testing to begin on September 1, to last at least 7 days
Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the communicable disease branch of the Centre for Health Protection, has urged those who have symptoms of the respiratory disease to seek alternative ways to be tested.
“The testing is for [the] asymptomatic general public,” she said on Monday. “This will also help to reduce the cross-infection among participants.”