Government completes enforcement action on compulsory testing notice at housing estate block in Sha Tin

     The Sha Tin District Office together with the Hong Kong Housing Society (HKHS), Shatin Police District, the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) and the Auxiliary Medical Service (AMS), conducted an enforcement operation today (February 22) at a block of a housing estate in Sha Tin, which was included in a compulsory testing notice earlier. The operation started at around 6am and ended at around 1pm today.

     Starting from around 6am today, residents of Ming Yan Lau, Jat Min Chuen, Sha Tin, were requested to provide the SMS notification received through a mobile phone, or related certification containing the results of COVID-19 tests, to show that they had taken such tests as required pursuant to the compulsory testing notice of the block within the specified period issued by the Government earlier on. The Government arranged for staff to verify the testing certifications of the residents at the entrances/exits of the block, and conducted checks in the block to verify whether residents had undergone testing in compliance with the requirement.

     During the operation, test records of around 2 500 residents were checked. Among them, around 70 persons were found to have violated the compulsory testing notice. The Government has issued compulsory testing orders and/or fixed penalties of $5,000 to them, requiring them to undergo testing within a specified period. Non-compliance with a compulsory testing order is an offence, and offenders are liable to a fine of $25,000 and imprisonment for six months.

     The Government reiterates that the aim of issuing a compulsory testing notice is to stop the spread of COVID-19 in the community as soon as possible to protect overall public health and safety. Persons subject to testing under a compulsory testing notice should, as far as reasonably practicable, take appropriate personal disease prevention measures including wearing a mask and maintaining hand hygiene, and, unless for the purpose of undergoing the specified test, stay at their place of residence and avoid going out until the test result is ascertained as far as possible.

     The Government wishes to thank the many residents who had complied with the compulsory testing notice for their co-operation to fight against the virus together. The Government will continue to enforce the law strictly. All persons subject to compulsory testing should comply with the compulsory testing notice. Any person who fails to comply with the compulsory testing notice may be liable to a fixed penalty of $5,000. The person will also be issued with a compulsory testing order, requiring him or her to undergo testing within a specified time frame. Non-compliance with the order is an offence and the offender may be liable to a fine of $25,000 and imprisonment for six months.

     The Sha Tin District Office is grateful for the support and co-operation of the HKHS, the Police, the CHP and the AMS to enable the enforcement action to be carried out smoothly. The Government understands that the enforcement process may cause some inconvenience to the residents, but hopes that the residents can understand.