Government enforces "restriction-testing declaration" and compulsory testing notice in respect of specified "restricted area" in Yat Mei House, Yau Chui Court, Yau Tong

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The Government yesterday (August 5) 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 5pm yesterday, under which people (hereafter referred to as "persons subject to compulsory testing") within the specified "restricted area" in Yau Tong (i.e. Yat Mei House, Yau Chui Court, Yau Tong, and certain designated area of the podium; excluding levels below the podium) 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. All persons in the "restricted area" who have tested positive in the past 14 days, including positive cases identified either by nucleic acid tests recorded by the Department of Health (DH) or by rapid antigen tests that have been self-declared to the DH, were not required to undergo testing in this compulsory testing exercise.

In addition, the Government issued a compulsory testing notice yesterday, requiring persons, other than those specified above, who had been present at the above building for more than two hours from July 30 to August 5, 2022, to undergo compulsory testing on or before August 7, 2022, 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 7.30am today (August 6) 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 7.30am today, persons in the specified "restricted area" in Yau Tong who have undergone testing and are able to present SMS notifications with negative test results 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 11pm yesterday. 930 people within the "restricted area" had undergone testing, among which 30 cases tested positive and one case tested indeterminate were found. The Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health will arrange to follow up.

Regarding cases tested positive in the specified "restricted area", the Government has provided additional food packs, health advice for persons tested positive pending admission to hospitals or isolation facilities, daily necessities packs, disinfection products, rapid antigen test kits and surgical masks to these persons and their household members pending follow-up arrangement.

Moreover, the Government also assigned staff to visit 370 households in the "restricted area", among which 46 households did not answer the door. The Government will take measures to follow up.

The Government reiterates that enforcement actions will be taken seriously. Any person who fails to present an SMS notification with a test result as proof of having undergone testing breaches the compulsory testing notice and may be fined a fixed penalty of $10,000. The person will also be issued with a compulsory testing order, requiring him/her to undergo testing within a specified time frame. Failure to comply with the compulsory testing order or the "restriction-testing declaration" is an offence and the offender would be liable to a fine of level 5 ($50,000) and imprisonment for six months.

Ends/Saturday, August 6, 2022
Issued at HKT 7:34

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