COVID-19: Half a million people sign up for free mass testing in Hong Kong

Amidst the coronavirus pandemic, 500,000 people in the city of Hong Kong have signed up for free coronavirus tests. The free universal coronavirus tests provided by the authorities will begin on September 1. The city of Hong Kong has reported 4,801 positive coronavirus cases and 88 deaths since the pandemic began and on August 30 reported 15 new virus cases and one death.

Half a million sign up for Mass testing

Despite strict social distancing norms and other restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of the deadly coronavirus, Hong Kong has seen a recent rise virus case. Given this situation, authorities in the city have launched a programme to provide free coronavirus testing to its citizens in an effort to discover how the infection is spreading.

As per reports, 80 testing sites that have been prepared by the government in gymnasiums and community centres have already been completely booked. The mass enrollment by citizens is being taken as a positive sign because the city has been gripped with pro-democracy protests against the authorities and Beijing. The recently passed National Security Law in Hong Kong is considered by many to be draconian and even foreign governments have objected to the law claiming that it infringes upon the rights of Hong Kongers.

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The COVID-19 pandemic which saw its first outbreak in a wet market in Wuhan, China last year has now spread all across the world. The virus, named COVID-19 by the World Health Organisation, has infected over 25 million people worldwide with the global death toll reaching over 800,000.

As per the John Hopkins coronavirus resource centre, the United States has reported a total of at least 5.9 million positive virus cases and has a death toll of 183,069. The US currently has the highest number of reported cases in the world, making it the epicentre of the deadly virus.

(Input Credit AP)

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