Controversy continues over Hong Kong's mass Covid-19 testing scheme
- Some people worry about data privacy with the anti-coronavirus measure and fear their personal information would be sent to mainland China
- Doctors say the scheme would have been more useful when coronavirus numbers were higher
Some Hongkongers have raised concerns over privacy in regards to the free Covid-19 tests being offered by the government.The city’s virus situation may be under control, but controversy continues over the government’s free mass testing scheme.
Top officials have been on a media blitz to regain public confidence over the testing plans, with multiple bureau heads posting blogs and going on radio shows to appeal to the public to take part.
They have stressed that no personal information will be sent to the mainland, in response to fears that the DNA would be used to track participants.
Hong Kong may relax some Covid-19 measures as cases drop
Despite the government’s efforts, critics such as Dr Alfred Wong Yam-hong, from doctors’ concern group Medecins Inspires, have been sceptical of the scheme.
Wong said if a test returned a false positive, it would inflict unnecessary stress on the person taking it.
Professor David Hui Shu-cheong, a respiratory medicine expert at Chinese University, said: “When the number of cases are high, many people would want to join. But with a drop in Covid-19 cases recently, people may not be as interested [as earlier].”