A health worker prepares to take a swab sample from a taxi driver to test for COVID-19 in Hong Kong, July 24, 2020. (EDMOND TANG / CHINA DAILY)

HONG KONG - All testing involved in a massive COVID-19 community screening scheme will take place in Hong Kong, and samples will be destroyed after being tested and will not be transported out of Hong Kong, a spokesperson for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government said Thursday.

A spokesperson for the Hong Kong government strongly condemned those who attempt to slander the testing scheme by spreading rumors that the test samples will be sent out of the city

The spokesperson strongly condemned those who attempt to slander the testing scheme by spreading rumors that the test samples will be sent out of Hong Kong.

The spokesperson said the samples and registered personal data will be processed separately and there will be no privacy issue at all. Sample bottles will not be marked with any personal data, and the testing facilities only know the serial numbers of bottles and do not know who the samples belong to.

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The spokesperson said the personal data provided by residents who voluntarily participate in the test will be encrypted and stored in the servers of the government data center for epidemic prevention purposes and will not be transferred outside Hong Kong. All personal data and test results will be deleted within one month after the completion of the testing scheme.

The spokesperson said that the scheme was arranged in response to the public's demand for mass screening. The scheme provides Hong Kong residents with free virus testing on a voluntary basis, hoping to find out hidden infected cases in the community for early diagnosis and treatment, and bring the epidemic under control as soon as possible.  

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