Hong Kong is ordering mandatory Covid-19 tests for all residents

February 24, 2022: -Hong Kong will test its entire population of 7.5 million people for Covid-19 in March, the city’s leader said on Tuesday, as it grapples with its worst outbreak driven by the omicron variant.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said that the population would be tested three times in March.

She said testing capacity would be boosted to 1 million a day or more.

“Since we have a population of some 7 million people, testing will take nearly seven days,” she said.

Hong Kong has been reporting 5,000 new daily infections since February 15, with the cases threatening to overwhelm its healthcare system. Since the current increase started at the beginning of the year, the city has recorded nearly 54,000 cases and 145 deaths.

The order for citywide tests comes after mainland Chinese authorities dispatched epidemiologists, health workers, and other medical resources in the last week to help contain the outbreak in the semi-autonomous Chinese city.

Hong Kong has aligned itself with mainland China’s “zero-Covid-19” policy, which aims to stamp out outbreaks, even as many other countries shift their approach to living with the virus.

Lockdowns of entire cities have been imposed in several mainland areas, but Lam said no such measure is considered in Hong Kong because it is “not realistic.”

She also denied that the central Chinese government is giving instructions to Hong Kong on how to handle the epidemic.

“I reiterate that the central government never issued any instructions on our anti-epidemic work,” she added. “The central government will offer support as needed or upon our request, but of course, we will always exchange our views,” she further added.

The “zero-Covid-19” strategy means that Hong Kong authorities often take measures like locking down residential estates for mass testing when positive cases are detected, which imposes strict quarantine requirements on travelers and ordering the shuttering of businesses.

The rapid increase of infections in the city has threatened to overwhelm its healthcare system.

Last week, health officials said hospitals were already at 90% of capacity, and isolation facilities were complete. People who test positive for the virus in Hong Kong must be admitted to a hospital or a quarantine facility.

On Tuesday, Lam acknowledged that the city’s isolation facilities are “severely inadequate” and “working very hard with the complete support of the central authorities” to build more.

Current social-distancing measures, aside from a ban on dining at restaurants after 6 p.m. and the closure of businesses such as gyms and bars, will be extended until April 20.

“This is not good news to the sectors affected, but really at this stage of the pandemic, we have a different choice but to take these measures,” Lam said.

She added the city hopes to boost its vaccination rate to 90% by early March.