Extension of COVID-19 testing service to ferry, railway and tram employees

     The Transport Department (TD) announced today (August 10) that, starting from tomorrow (August 11), the COVID-19 testing service for taxi/public light bus (PLB) drivers will be extended to employees of the ferry operators, the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) and Hong Kong Tramways Limited (HKT).

     Employees of the ferry operators can visit the designated distribution points directly during the designated time periods for collection of swab self-sampling kits without prior telephone booking, and should return the specimens to the collection points as soon as possible after completion of self-sampling. The contractor of the testing service will then send the specimens to laboratories for testing. Taxi/PLB drivers who did not undergo the testing in the past two phases (i.e. between July 17 and August 8) can also participate in this testing by collecting the swab self-sampling kits at the designated points.

     Employees of ferry operators holding valid staff identity cards or letters issued by the ferry operators, as well as taxi/PLB drivers holding valid taxi/PLB driver identity cards, can bring together their valid Hong Kong identity cards, and visit the swab self-sampling kit distribution points during the designated time periods for registration and collection of the kit on site. Addresses, opening dates and hours of the swab self-sampling kit distribution points and specimen bottle collection points for the respective trades are in the Annex.

     Meanwhile, the contractor will provide swab self-sampling kits to the MTRCL and HKT, while those companies will arrange with their operating staff for distribution and collection of swab self-sampling kits and the contractor for collection of their employees' specimens for testing.

     The test is voluntary and free of charge. The contractor will not retain the personal data of the participants. If a participant's test result is positive, the contractor will notify the TD on the specimen serial number. For a specimen serial number that belongs to a taxi/PLB driver or an employee of a ferry operator, the TD will relay the details of the participant concerned to the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) for its follow-up. For a specimen serial number that belongs to an employee of the MTRCL or HKT, the TD will notify the company concerned to relay th employee's information directly to the CHP.

     Each participant can conduct the test once only. Taxi/PLB drivers who had participated in the past two phases of the scheme should not join this test again.

     The TD appeals to the employees of the ferry operators, the MTRCL and HKT as well as taxi and PLB drivers to actively participate in the testing to ensure public health and minimise risks of the spread of the virus in the community. For details of the testing service, please refer to the website of the TD (www.td.gov.hk).