Single test pushed to ease travel pain

Travelers to the mainland through the Shenzhen Bay Port should only be required to take one PCR test to shorten waiting time and save resources, says Starry Lee Wai-king, chair of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong.

"One of the pains of traveling to the mainland is that travelers need to do another test on Shenzhen soil," she said. "Our goal is to conduct one PCR test at the same location only. If we could establish a criterion agreed by both sides, travelers' waiting time could be reduced."

She said she put forward the suggestion to Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu at the Legislative Council "antechamber chats" yesterday and that he was open to the idea.

Under the current arrangement, travelers to the mainland are required to take an additional onsite PCR test at the port area and have negative results, besides holding color-printed negative PCR reports issued within the last 24 hours.

After travelers finish immigration clearance on the Hong Kong side, they are required to undergo another PCR test by the Shenzhen authority.

However, the two sides have different criteria for determining positive results, with the mainland being stricter. The cycle threshold value, indicating viral load, is used by both sides to identify the infected. A lower CT value translates to a higher viral count.

But Hong Kong does not identify one as positive unless the CT value is under 30 as local authorities deem a patient with a CT value above 30 to be non-infectious while the CT value in the mainland is 40.

Some travelers might be categorized as positive in the mainland even if they had tested negative in Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, some travelers tested positive at the Hong Kong on-site test stayed in the Shenzhen Bay Port area or left freely by taxi, without being isolated from others.

The Department of Health's principal medical and health officer, Albert Au Ka-wing, said guidance had been provided to those who tested positive.

"Individuals who tested positive in the port area are required to go home by point-to-point transportation," he said. "We will issue them quarantine orders thereafter."

But a man with a red wristband was seen leaving Shenzhen Bay by bus yesterday after he stayed in the port area for 90 minutes and was told by department staff to leave on his own and report his case online.

He tried to call the department's hotline, but could not get through.

An online booking system for PCR tests at Shenzhen Bay Port launches today as all travelers crossing the land border from tomorrow are required to book the onsite test in advance.

The online booking system is a crowd-control measure after people were seen waiting for hours over the past few days.

The system will be combined with the booking system for community testing centers and large-scale specimen collection stations.

The online booking should be made after travelers have secured a quarantine hotel quota from mainland authorities.

Travelers can reserve time slots for the PCR test in the coming seven days through the booking system.

tsdreporter2@singtaonewscorp.com