HK: Care home staff mandatory testing set

Staff of residential care homes for the elderly (RCHEs), residential care homes for persons with disabilities (RCHDs) and nursing homes, except those vaccinated, must undergo compulsory COVID-19 nucleic acid testing from September 22 to 28.

The Secretary for Food & Health issued on September 16 a compulsory testing notice for the 29th round of testing, covering those employed by and will be on duty at RCHEs, RCHDs, nursing homes and day service units attached to residential care homes for the period from September 29 to October 5.

Those who will provide services to residents or users through hire-of-service contracts during that period are also covered.

They must not take the sample themselves and should receive specimen collection services using combined nasal and throat swabs.

People who have completed a COVID-19 vaccination course or those who have completed a vaccination course by receiving a recognized COVID-19 vaccine in places outside Hong Kong are exempted from the mandatory testing.

The staff may choose to get tested at community testing centers, mobile specimen collection stations or self-arranged testing in laboratories recognized by the Government at their own expense.

They can also have their specimens collected by a healthcare professional or trained personnel arranged by institution operators at government-recognized laboratories.

Care home staff who have not been vaccinated and do not have medical certificates stating that they are unfit to receive COVID-19 vaccination owing to health reasons have to undergo compulsory testing at their own expense, the Social Welfare Department added.