â€‹Following is the transcript of remarks made by the Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan, after attending a radio programme today (May 1):

Reporter: Is there any plan to extend the deadline for domestic helpers to get tested because many employers say they don't have sufficient time to ask the helpers to get tested? Secondly, many migrant workers groups have complained that it is unjust to only ask foreign domestic helpers to get tested and vaccinated, how can you convince that this is not the case?

Secretary for Food and Health: First of all, as far as the compulsory testing of foreign domestic helpers is concerned, we have issued the compulsory testing notice which is effective until May 9. We are trying to give a longer time for testing because of the number of people involved. Also, if you noticed, there are two weekends. We want to facilitate the testing of foreign domestic helpers. On the other hand, it is important for us to increase the capacity of our testing to cater for compulsory testing for a large number of people. The Labour Department has already organised four mobile testing stations at the sites where there are lots of foreign domestic helpers gathering during the weekend. On top of the 21 community testing centres that we already have, we are also setting up, starting from today, a total of another ten mobile stations including those designated for foreign domestic helpers as well as to cater for the needs of other compulsory testing. We will continue to monitor the situation and see whether further adjustment is needed. For the community testing centres, we are also extending the opening hours to until 10pm instead of 8pm so as to cater for the needs of compulsory testing in the coming days.

Reporter: Migrant workers say it is unjust for them to be asked to get vaccinated……

Secretary for Food and Health: I think as far as migrant workers or foreign domestic helpers are concerned, it's all really risk-based. In a very short time, we have already identified two foreign domestic helpers who have the variants of concern. Therefore, we think it is important for us to ask all foreign domestic helpers, as a very stringent, preventive and control measure, to do compulsory testing so that we can find out and identify the cases and prevent any outbreak. Any further outbreak would be detrimental to the current situation in Hong Kong. In order to protect the health and safety of people in Hong Kong, I think the prevention and control measures including compulsory testing, including quarantines and additional number of tests coupled with the stringent border control measures are really something we have to move ahead.

     As far as vaccination is concerned, as I have said many times, it can protect us so that when we unluckily contracted COVID-19, the overall clinical situation would be less severe. I think in order to protect individuals and our family, vaccination is something that we should move ahead and get vaccinated. As far as the entire community is concerned, it is also important for us to build herd immunity so that everybody is being protected including those who can't be vaccinated. So, this is a very important measure. There is no discrimination in the measures that the Government has recently come up with.

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)

     The Land Registry (LR) announced today (May 1) that compact discs for the 53rd edition of the Index of Streets, House Numbers and Lots in Hong Kong, Kowloon and New Kowloon (Street Index), and the 22nd edition of the New Territories Lot/Address Cross Reference Table (CRT) have been released. The discs facilitate searches of land records of urban and the New Territories properties by correlating property addresses, building names or lot numbers.

     The new edition of the Street Index features 368 amendments to the last edition, with nine new streets and 29 new lots/sections/subsections added. In the latest edition of the CRT, 1 035 amendments have been made and 19 new streets and 690 new lots/sections/subsections have been added.

     The new editions of the Street Index and CRT compact discs cost $370 each. Licences for using them on computer networks are also available for sale. The respective licence fees are $2,960 for computer networks linked to less than 50 terminals and $5,920 if linked to 50 terminals or more.

     Members of the public who wish to purchase the compact discs and the licences may submit a completed order form by post or in person to the LR's Customer Centre (19/F, Queensway Government Offices (QGO), 66 Queensway, Hong Kong) or the LR's Street Index and CRT Help Desk (Unit 1202, 12/F, One Kowloon, 1 Wang Yuen Street, Kowloon Bay, Kowloon) or deposit it in the drop-in box located near the Information Counter on the Deck Floor of the High Block of QGO. The form can be obtained at the LR's website (www.landreg.gov.hk), by fax by calling the customer service hotline at 3105 0000, or at the LR's Customer Centre, the New Territories Search Offices and the Street Index and CRT Help Desk. 

     Given the latest situation of COVID-19, to achieve social distancing and to reduce the risk of the spread of the virus, members of the public are encouraged to obtain order forms online or by calling the customer service hotline and submit completed application forms by post or use the drop-in box as much as possible.

     An online version of the new Street Index and CRT is also available for free browsing on the LR's website (www.landreg.gov.hk) or through the hyperlink on the Integrated Registration Information System Online Services (www.iris.gov.hk).

     For enquiries, please call the Street Index and CRT help desk or the Customer Service Manager of the LR at 3105 0000.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
 
     As the recent service demand situation of public hospitals has largely returned to the normal levels, the Hospital Authority (HA) will cease to release the daily service statistics of Accident and Emergency Departments and the occupancy rate in public hospitals from tomorrow (May 2). HA will continue to monitor the service situation of public hospitals and to make necessary operation arrangement and resources deployment.
      
     The key service statistics of yesterday (April 30) are in the appended table.

     Three charities have been issued Public Subscription Permits to hold flag sales on Hong Kong Island, in Kowloon and in the New Territories separately from 7am to 12.30pm today (May 1). The Social Welfare Department (SWD) has been informed by two of the charities that the regional flag-selling activities scheduled to be held by them today have been cancelled, a spokesman for the SWD said.
 
     Information on the regional flag-selling activity today is as follows:
 

 
     The contact information for the organisations that have cancelled their regional flag-selling activities today is as follows:
 

 
     Details of the charitable fund-raising activities, including any updated information, covered by the issued Public Subscription Permits have been published on the GovHK website (www.gov.hk/en/theme/fundraising/search). Permits for flag days containing information on contact methods of the flag-selling organisations and the approved flag-selling activities have also been uploaded to the SWD's website (www.swd.gov.hk/en/index/site_pubsvc/page_controlofc/sub_flagdays) for reference. For enquiries, please call the SWD's hotline at 2343 2255, or the designated hotline of the 1823 Call Centre at 3142 2678.
 
     In the case of suspected fraudulent flag day activities, people should not make any donation and should immediately report the matter to the Police, the spokesman added.
 

     The Government will exercise the power under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Compulsory Testing for Certain Persons) Regulation (Cap. 599J) and gazette a compulsory testing notice and specifications, which require any person who had been present at 26 specified premises during the specified period and foreign domestic helpers (persons subject to compulsory testing) to undergo a COVID-19 nucleic acid test, and continue to empower a registered medical practitioner to require any person whom he clinically suspects has contracted COVID-19 to undergo a test during a period of 14 days from May 1 to May 14, 2021.

Compulsory testing notice
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     In view of the local cases with unknown sources of infection involving N501Y mutant strain, we need to require any person who had been present at the relevant specified premises during the specified period to undergo a second test or a third test respectively. In addition, since there have been foreign domestic helpers confirmed positive involving N501Y mutant strain recently, all foreign domestic helpers are required to undergo compulsory testing.
 
     A spokesman for the Food and Health Bureau said, "As N501Y mutant strain is with high transmissibility, for prudence's sake, the relevant persons who had been to the places patronised by the local cases with unknown sources of infection involving N501Y mutant strain are required to undergo three tests and all foreign domestic helpers are required to undergo testing to completely cut any possible transmission chain."
 
     In addition, since there were outbreaks of upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) in 11 schools, and the symptoms of URTI are similar to those of COVID-19, for prudence's sake, these 11 schools are also covered in the compulsory testing notice.

     Details of the compulsory testing notices are at Annex 1. Foreign domestic helpers are required to undergo testing on or before May 9.  The rest of the persons subject to compulsory testing (unless otherwise specified in Part C2 of Annex 1) should undergo testing on or before May 3.  Persons who have completed a COVID-19 vaccination course would be taken to have complied with the requirements set out in the compulsory testing notices.

     Furthermore, taking into account that a number of specified premises are covered in the compulsory testing notices recently, regarding the compulsory testing notice on April 29, the testing deadline for persons subject to compulsory testing who had been present at the 14 specified premises listed in that notice will be extended by one day from May 1 to May 2, in order to facilitate the members of the public to undergo compulsory testing.

     A spokesman for the Food and Health Bureau reminded the public that in accordance with the compulsory testing notice issued earlier, all household members of close contacts are required to undergo compulsory testing. Any person who had lived with a person placed under quarantine pursuant to section 22 of the Prevention and Control of Disease Regulation (Cap. 599A) (person under quarantine) in the same residential unit on the date of commencement of quarantine or during the 14 days before that day, and who becomes aware of the quarantine of the person under quarantine when the relevant quarantine has not yet been completed, has to undergo testing within two days of him/her becoming aware that the person under quarantine has been placed under quarantine and report to the Government the result of the test by phone (at 6275 6901), fax (at 2530 5872) or email (ct@csb.gov.hk) within three days of undergoing the test.

     The Government will reopen/set up mobile specimen collection stations at the following locations on May 1 for persons subject to the third testing:
 

• Outside Central Pier No.5
• Gloucester Road Garden (outside Immigration Tower), Wan Chai
• Ocean Centre Carpark in Tsim Sha Tsui
• Cheung Chau Sports Centre

     
     The Labour Department and the Food and Health Bureau will set up mobile specimen collection stations on May 1 to 2 at popular gathering places of foreign domestic helpers (FDHs) to provide a free COVID-19 testing service for FDHs:
 

• Chater Road Pedestrian Precinct in Central (near the bus stop)
• Hing Fat Street entrance of Victoria Park in Causeway Bay (near Exit A2 of MTR Tin Hau Station)
• Lai Chi Kok Park entrance (near Exit D of MTR Mei Foo Station)
• Tsuen Wan Park entrance (near Exit D of MTR Tsuen Wan West Station).

     In addition, the Government will set up mobile specimen collection stations at the following locations on May 1 for persons subject to compulsory testing (including FDHs):
 

• Kennedy Town Playground
• Tamar Park
• Carpark of Quarry Bay Community Hall
• Siu Sai Wan Community Hall
• Kwun Tong Recreation Ground
• 557 Shanghai Street, Mong Kok (opposite to Langham Place)
• Lai Kok Community Hall, Cheung Sha Wan
• Kwai Chung Sports Ground
• Amphitheatre, Hong Kong Velodrome Park in Tseung Kwan O
• Mau Tai Road Garden in Po Lam

     The service period of the mobile specimen collection stations at Citygate and Fu Tung Estate in Tung Chung will be extended to May 2 (Sunday) and May 4 (Tuesday) respectively. The service period of the mobile specimen collection station at Maple Street Playground in Sham Shui Po will be extended to May 9 (Sunday). The service period of the mobile specimen collection stations at Wong Tai Sin Square and Plaza of Sha Tin Town Hall will be extended to May 16 (Sunday). The Government will continue to review the usage and public demand for the testing service, and make suitable adjustments to the relevant service.

     The opening dates and operating hours of the mobile specimen collection stations in various districts providing free COVID-19 nucleic acid testing services for the general public are stated in Annex 2. Apart from mobile specimen collection stations, persons subject to compulsory testing can also choose to attend any of the community testing centres in all districts to receive testing free of charge. Persons with "LeaveHomeSafe" COVID-19 exposure notification or SMS notification from the Centre for Health Protection reminding them to undergo testing as soon as possible may receive free testing at community testing centres or mobile specimen collection stations (if the service scope is applicable).

     Persons subject to compulsory testing may choose to undergo testing via the following routes:

1. To visit any of the mobile specimen collection stations (see the list and target groups (if applicable) at www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/early-testing.html) for testing;
2. To attend any of the community testing centres (see the list at www.communitytest.gov.hk/en/);
3. To obtain a deep throat saliva specimen collection pack from any of the 121 post offices, vending machines set up at 20 MTR stations or 47 designated general outpatient clinics (GOPCs) of the Hospital Authority and return the specimen to one of the designated specimen collection points (see the distribution points and times, and the specimen collection points and times, at www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/early-testing.html);
4. To undergo testing at any of the GOPCs of the Hospital Authority as instructed by a medical professional of the Hospital Authority;
5. To self-arrange testing provided by private laboratories which are recognised by the Department of Health (DH) and can issue SMS notifications in respect of test results (see the list at www.coronavirus.gov.hk/pdf/List_of_recognised_laboratories_RTPCR.pdf); or
6.To use a specimen bottle distributed to the relevant specified premises by the CHP (if applicable), and return the specimen bottle with the sample collected as per relevant guidelines.

     The spokesman cautioned that testing received at Accident and Emergency Departments of the Hospital Authority or during hospital stays, or testing provided by private laboratories which cannot issue SMS notifications in respect of test results, does not comply with the requirements of the aforementioned compulsory testing notice.

     "If persons subject to compulsory testing have symptoms, they should seek medical attention immediately and undergo testing as instructed by a medical professional. They should not attend the mobile specimen collection stations or the community testing centres."

      Persons subject to compulsory testing must keep the SMS notification containing the result of the test for checking by a law enforcement officer when the officer requires the persons to provide information about their undergoing the specified test. Furthermore, persons subject to testing under the compulsory testing notices should, as far as reasonably practicable, take appropriate personal disease prevention measures including wearing a mask and maintaining hand hygiene, and, unless for the purpose of undergoing the specified test, stay at their place of residence and avoid going out until the test result is ascertained as far as possible. Any enquiries on compulsory testing arrangements may be addressed to the hotline at 6275 6901, which operates daily from 9am to 6pm. If persons subject to compulsory testing plan to conduct testing at any of the community testing centres, they can check the centre's appointment status in advance. The hotlines of the community testing centres are available at www.communitytest.gov.hk/en/info/.
 
Relevant specifications for compulsory testing for persons clinically suspected to have contracted COVID-19
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     According to expert advice, compulsory testing for symptomatic patients can effectively slow down the transmission of the virus by early identification, early isolation and early treatment. To keep the epidemic situation under control, the Government considers it necessary to continue to solicit help from medical practitioners in identifying possibly infected persons as soon as possible.

     During the period of 14 days from May 1 to May 14, 2021, registered medical practitioners may, by a written direction, require a person whom the medical practitioner attends to in the course of professional practice and clinically suspects to have contracted COVID-19 to undergo a COVID-19 nucleic acid test. Persons who receive the written direction (persons who are subject to testing under written directions) should undergo a test within two days after the issue date of the written direction (the testing deadline).
 
     Persons who are subject to testing under written directions may choose to undergo testing via the following routes:

(1) To use the specimen bottle provided by the registered medical practitioner who issued the written direction to collect a deep throat saliva specimen and submit the specimen bottle to designated specimen collection points by the testing deadline (see the specimen collection points and time at www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/early-testing.html). Having reported the case to the DH, the registered medical practitioner who issued the written direction will be notified of the test result; or
(2) To self-arrange testing provided by private laboratories recognised by the DH (see the list at www.coronavirus.gov.hk/pdf/List_of_recognised_laboratories_RTPCR.pdf) by the testing deadline and submit the test result to the medical practitioner who issued the written direction or his clinic staff by electronic mail, fax, or by hardcopy within four days after the testing deadline.

     For example, if the written direction is issued on Monday, the person subject to testing under the written direction should undergo a test via one of the above options on or before Wednesday, the testing deadline. If the test result of the specimen is preliminary positive, the specimen will be referred to the Public Health Laboratory Services Branch of the DH for a confirmatory test. Confirmed cases will be followed up and announced by the Centre for Health Protection of the DH.
    
     "Persons who are subject to testing under written directions are suspected to be infected and should not attend the mobile specimen collection stations or the community testing centres for testing. To reduce transmission risk, relevant persons who underwent testing are advised to stay at home and avoid going out when waiting for test results."
 
     Any person who fails to comply with the testing notices commits an offence and may be fined a fixed penalty of $5,000. The person would also be issued with a compulsory testing order requiring him or her to undergo testing within a specified time frame. Failure to comply with the order is an offence and the offender would be liable to a fine at level 4 ($25,000) and imprisonment for six months.

     Relevant officers of different government departments are empowered to perform certain functions under the relevant Regulations under the Prevention and Control of Disease Ordinance (Cap. 599), including requesting individuals to provide information and assistance when necessary. Any person who fails to comply with the relevant request commits an offence and would be liable to a fine at level 3 ($10,000). Collection and use of any personal data for conducting COVID-19 tests must meet the requirements under the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Cap. 486). Government departments or testing service providers which handle the relevant information may provide the data to DH or other relevant departments for anti-epidemic purpose as necessary. The workflow does not involve the provision of any personal data to organisations or persons outside Hong Kong.

     The spokesman said, "The Government urges all individuals who are in doubt about their own health conditions, or individuals with infection risks (such as individuals who visited places with epidemic outbreaks or contacted confirmed cases), to undergo testing promptly for early identification of infected persons."