Travel plan ends cross-border woes

Some lawmakers and groups in the city have voiced support for this suggestion.

The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions called for a mandatory mass virus testing program and urged the government to consider introducing a lockdown to contain the outbreak.

Some 97 percent of 18,700 respondents to an online survey conducted by the federation from Nov 24 to Nov 26 said they support such a program, while 90 percent said they wanted a 14-day lockdown.

Lawyer and lawmaker Junius Ho Kwan-yiu said the Hong Kong government should realize that a large number of residents want travel between the city and the mainland to resume.

He suggested that to contain the outbreak as soon as possible, the city should introduce mandatory mass testing for the virus and ban people from leaving home before they obtain the results.

If such measures result in zero infections, Hong Kong would have the opportunity to restart cross-border travel next month, Ho added.

However, at a news conference on Nov 25, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said the government had no plan to launch a mandatory mass testing program for the virus.

She said such a program was impractical for the city, as related arrangements, including a lockdown, must be put in place together with the testing.

"If I go through a test today, there is no point if I am still allowed to go out, to go to work or to a restaurant," she said.

Lam estimated it would take about four weeks to complete mandatory citywide testing for the virus, adding that it would be hard for the city to survive during this period and people would also find it difficult to comply with a mandatory stay-at-home order.

Plugging loopholes

Leung Chi-chiu, a Hong Kong specialist in respiratory medicine, described the city's pandemic situation as a "wildfire", with infection clusters found in different districts at a range of venues, including dance studios, restaurants and resorts.

Given the city's limited medical resources, it is not possible at present to conduct large-scale, let alone citywide, testing for the virus, he added.

Leung, former chairman of the Hong Kong Medical Association's Advisory Committee on Communicable Diseases, said the priority should be using resources to screen high-risk groups and patients with COVID-19 symptoms.

The Hong Kong government currently orders mandatory testing for high-risk groups such as nursing and care home employees and those who have visited venues linked with infection clusters.

Anyone failing to comply with a mandatory testing notice face a fine of HK$2,000 ($258). Those issued a mandatory testing notice faces a fine of HK$2,000 ($258).Violators of the notice are given a testing order, with breaches of this liable to a HK$25,000 fine and six months' imprisonment.

Lam, the chief executive, said the government would "more than double" the fixed penalty of HK$2,000 for violations of anti-virus regulations, including the ban on gatherings, the mandatory wearing of face masks and the compulsory testing order.

Leung said that in addition to stricter social distancing measures and mandatory testing, the authorities should thoroughly review coronavirus prevention and control measures as soon as possible to plug loopholes, adding, "The government should learn a lesson."

He suggested the authorities review the measures taken for arrivals from outside Hong Kong, along with quarantine exemptions.