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

     In view of the recent development of the COVID-19 epidemic, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (October 9) announced that the FEHD has arranged testing agency, Prenetics Limited, to deliver specimen bottles at bar areas and a mobile van will be parked near the bar areas for three consecutive nights starting from today to encourage personnel in bars and pubs and their patrons to undergo the voluntary testing.

     The testing agency delivered specimen bottles at the Lan Kwai Fong bar area tonight, and the mobile van was parked in the vicinity of Wyndham Street. Specimen bottles will be delivered at bar areas in Tsim Sha Tsui and Wan Chai tomorrow and on Sunday night respectively. 

     A spokesman for the FEHD said, "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 personnel 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 collection mobile van of the testing agency parked at Hoi Chak Street in Quarry Bay from 9am to 5pm between October 10 and 12. Cases with positive results will be relayed to the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health for follow-up. 

     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 it will provide voluntary free virus testing services for high-exposure groups as part of the surveillance and early-warning system. By facilitating contact tracing and epidemiological investigations, it 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.

     The FEHD strongly appeals to personnel 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).