Restricted area testing effective: CE

February 9, 2021

(To watch the full media session with sign language interpretation, click here.) 

 

Chief Executive Carrie Lam today said the compulsory testing operations in the specified restricted areas have been effective in combatting COVID-19.

  

Ahead of this morning’s Executive Council meeting, Mrs Lam explained that 25 such operations have been conducted with the use of a restriction-testing declaration (RTD).

  

“It’s a very staff-intensive operation. It’s also done as expeditiously as possible in order to reduce the disruption on the residents concerned. It has proven to be effective.”

  

She added that the RTD operations will continue until tomorrow, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve.

 

“Having regard to the importance Hong Kong people attach to Chinese New Year, I think earlier on, the Chief Secretary has mentioned that we will conduct these sorts of operations up till February 10.

 

“But whether we will do so is still a matter of whether we need to, because every day public health colleagues have to work with Home Affairs Department colleagues to see whether there is a candidate for that sort of restriction-testing operation.

 

“As things now stand, barring unforeseeable circumstances, we will not do any RTD operations during the Chinese New Year holiday.”

 

The Chief Executive urged people to keep social and family gatherings to a minimum during the holidays.

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