Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor (front left) inspects the air-inflated laboratory at Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park Sports Centre after attending a ceremony to welcome the arrival of mainland nucleic acid test support team, Hong Kong, Aug 28, 2020. (PHOTO/ HKSAR GOVERNMENT)

A spokesman for the Hong Kong government on Sunday expressed deep disappointment and regret over the false information on the internet and social media platforms about the universal community testing program.

The spokesman stressed that the testing is safe, convenient and quick, providing full protection of personal privacy. 

The spokesman stressed that the free, mass testing will help identify asymptomatic COVID-19 patients in the community, enabling members of the public to resume their normal lives and economic activities early, and appealed to members of the public to take the testing to demonstrate with action the concerted efforts of the community to fight the virus.

The government has noted that a number of exaggerated and false comments about the program were circulated on the internet and social media platforms in recent days, which contained fallacious information in various areas including the way specimens will be collected, infection control, as well as accuracy and effectiveness of testing. 

“These acts run counter to the spirit of the community to fight the disease together, and fall short of the expectations of the medical personnel and a large number of frontline staff members who have been working hard to fight the virus as well as enterprises and members of the public in support of the program,” he said.

“The acts are extremely disappointing and regretful and deserve the condemnation by the community,” the spokesman said.

The spokesman stressed that the testing is safe, convenient and quick, providing full protection of personal privacy. People should rest assured that that personal particulars, including the specimens and the testing results, will be kept only in Hong Kong and for testing purposes. The government will deal with the personal particulars of members of the public very carefully. 

“The workflow does not involve any transfer of personal particulars to institutions or persons outside the territory,” the spokesman said.

"The more the number of people taking part in the program, the more likely asymptomatic patients in the community are identified for isolation treatment, so that transmission chains can be cut and people's normal lives and economic activities can be resumed early," the spokesman said.