In the light of the positive test results for the COVID-19 virus from some sewage samples collected in Sha Tin, Tai Po and Mong Kok, the Home Affairs Department (including the Sha Tin District Office (STDO), the Tai Po District Office (TPDO) and the Yau Tsim Mong District Office (YTMDO)) today (January 31) started to distribute a total of about 61 000 COVID-19 rapid test kits to residents within the districts.

     The STDO and the TPDO today distributed a total of around 41 000 rapid test kits to households in Sha Tin District and Tai Po District through property management companies. The YTMDO also started to distribute about 20 000 rapid test kits to residents in Yau Tsim Mong District through district bodies, building organisations and associations of ethnic minorities today, in the hope of identifying infected persons early so as to better protect the infected persons and their families. However, the Government stresses that rapid test kit testing is not a substitute for the Government's compulsory testing requirement.

     For more information on the use of the rapid test kits, residents may refer to the following link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=w81mttDX9qE

     The Government appeals for the co-operation of members of the public to safeguard the health of themselves and their families by undergoing testing on a voluntary basis and fighting the virus together. The Government urges all individuals who are in doubt about their own health condition, or individuals with infection risks (such as individuals who visited places with epidemic outbreaks or had contact with cases that tested positive), to undergo testing promptly for early identification of infected persons to reduce the transmission risks of COVID-19.

Ends/Monday, January 31, 2022
Issued at HKT 21:50

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