Hong Kong prepares for COVID-19 mass testing, over 220,000 register in less than 12hrs

Over 2,00,000 Hong Kong residents signed up for a voluntary COVID-19 testing programme in the first 11 hours of its announcement on Saturday, August 29.

According to South China Morning Post, lakhs of people signed up for the testing scheme by 5:45 p.m on Saturday, which authorities are hailing as a positive sign towards the effective handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier, officials and experts had urged Hong Kong residents to sign up for the programme and help authorities fight the viral disease. 

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Hong Kong COVID-19 situation 

The programme will reportedly begin on September 1, which experts have said will help authorities gain control of the crisis. The massive enrollment by residents came as Hong Kong recorded 18 new infections on Saturday, taking the total confirmed cases tally to 4,786.

As per the Hong Kong health department's data, the city has registered 87 COVID-19-related deaths to date. The infection rate in the former British colony has slowed down as it recorded fewer than 30 daily new cases for the 11th consecutive day.

Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced an ease in COVID-19 restrictions from August 28 onwards as the city recorded a drop in daily case tally.

The massive enrollment by Hong Kong residents is also being hailed as a positive sign because the city has been witnessing widespread pro-democracy protests against the authorities that have also turned violent on various occasions.

Hong Kongers have been taking to streets for the past several months to protest against Beijing's draconian policies, which had grown since July after the passage of the controversial National Security Law. The protests saw people gathering in large numbers for months demanding the withdrawal of the controversial law, which authorities noted as a potential crisis in the face of the pandemic. 

(Image Credit: AP)

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