23rd July 2021 – (Hong Kong) The Government yesterday exercised the power under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Compulsory Testing for Certain Persons) Regulation (Cap. 599J) to make a “restriction-testing declaration” effective from 7.30pm yesterday, under which people within the specified “restricted area” in Tuen Mun (i.e. Block 6, Handsome Court, 388 Castle Peak Road, Tuen Mun) were required to stay in their premises and undergo compulsory testing. Persons subject to compulsory testing are required to stay in their premises until all such persons identified in the “restricted area” have undergone testing and the test results are mostly ascertained. In addition, the Government had issued a compulsory testing notice yesterday to any person who had been present at the building for more than two hours from 30th June to 22nd 22, 2021, to undergo compulsory testing on or before 24th July even if they were not present in the “restricted area” at the time when the declaration took effect. The Government finished the compulsory testing exercise at around 6.40am today and is now carrying out enforcement actions in the “restricted area” to verify that all people in the “restricted area” have undergone compulsory testing. The Government will further announce the revocation time of the declaration.
Starting from around 6.40am today, persons in the “restricted area” in Tuen Mun who have undergone testing and are able to present SMS notifications with negative test results or wear wristbands as proof of having undergone testing may leave the “restricted area” through the designated exit after providing personal information to a prescribed officer.
The Government set up temporary specimen collection stations in the “restricted area” yesterday and requested persons subject to compulsory testing to collect combined nasal and throat swab samples at the stations to undergo a COVID-19 virus test before 12am today. As at 12am today, around 300 residents had undergone testing. No confirmed cases were found.
Moreover, the Government also assigned staff to visit around 100 households, among which six households did not answer the door. Those may include some households undergoing quarantine or isolation. Some units are possibly vacant as well. The Government does not have detailed information in this respect and will take measures to follow up.
In this exercise, the Home Affairs Department (HAD) (including the Tuen Mun District Office), the Hong Kong Police Force, the Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office of the Department of Health, and the Auxiliary Medical Service mobilised around 180 staff to arrange for implementation of the declaration and enforcement actions for breaches of the compulsory testing notice issued earlier.
The Government hopes that the six households who have not answered the door will contact the Government for arrangement of testing as soon as possible after reading the notices put up by the Government, in the hope of eliminating the possible risk of further spread of the virus in the community.
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