FEHD encourages bar and pub practitioners to undergo virus testing (with photos)

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     In view of the recent developments of the COVID-19 epidemic, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (October 16) announced that the FEHD will continue to arrange its testing agency, Prenetics Limited, to deliver specimen bottles at bar areas and mobile vans will be parked near the bar areas for three consecutive nights starting from today to encourage practitioners in bars and pubs and their patrons to undergo the voluntary testing.

     The testing agency delivered specimen bottles at bar area in Kennedy Town tonight, and mobile vans were parked in the vicinity of Davis Street. Specimen bottles will be delivered at bar areas in Prince Edward and Soho tomorrow and on Sunday night respectively.

     The testing agency will be responsible for the provision of one-stop service covering specimen taking and testing. The testing agency will deliver specimen bottles to practitioners in bars and pubs for collecting deep throat saliva samples, and then collect the samples in the subsequent one to two days for testing. Moreover, the testing agency will also deliver the specimen bottles to patrons of bars and pubs who are interested in taking the test and they can return their specimen bottles by themselves to the mobile collection van of the testing agency parked at Hoi Chak Street in Quarry Bay from 9am to 5pm between October 17 and 19. Specimens with preliminary positive results will be relayed to the Public Health Laboratory Services Branch of the Department of Health to re-test and confirm the result. Positive cases will be followed up and announced by the Centre for Health Protection.

     The testing agency delivered over 2 100 specimen bottles at bar areas in Lan Kwai Fong, Tsim Sha Tsui and Wan Chai last weekend.

     To broaden surveillance at the community level, and incorporate disease prevention and infection control into the new normal of the daily operation of society, the Government has integrated and regularised the Targeted Group Testing Scheme as part of sentinel surveillance. The FEHD announced earlier that the deadline for online registration of the voluntary free virus testing services for high-exposure groups has been extended to October 31. As part of the surveillance and early-warning system, by facilitating contact tracing and epidemiological investigations, the services will be conducive to "early identification, early isolation and early treatment", and can provide data for reference for the overall assessment of the epidemic situation.

     A spokesman for the FEHD strongly appeals to practitioners in bars and pubs to actively participate in the testing scheme, and continue to comply with the directions made under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Requirements and Directions) (Business and Premises) Regulation (Cap. 599F), to maintain personal and environmental hygiene continuously with a view to ensuring cleanliness of the premises, and to always remind their customers to comply with the requirements of the Prevention and Control of Disease (Prohibition on Group Gathering) Regulation (Cap. 599G).

Ends/Friday, October 16, 2020
Issued at HKT 20:56

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In view of the recent developments of the COVID-19 epidemic, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department has arranged for its testing agency, Prenetics Limited, to deliver specimen bottles to bar areas and park mobile vans near these areas for three consecutive nights starting from today (October 16). The arrangement is to encourage personnel working in bars and pubs as well as their patrons to undergo voluntary testing. Photo shows the testing agency delivering specimen bottles to a bar in Kennedy Town this evening.