The rapid-response regime known as “restriction testing”, which targets specific buildings and surrounding areas where multiple people have tested positive for COVID-19, has proved quite effective so far, with more than a dozen confirmed cases discovered since the SAR government adopted this new anti-pandemic tactic last week. Scores of residential buildings in the Yau Tsim Mong district in Kowloon have been declared restricted areas by the Food and Health Bureau. The latest success of this exercise found more new confirmed cases in a restricted area in Yau Ma Tei on Tuesday. This tactic depends heavily on compulsory testing of all those who live in the restricted buildings and close-contact tracing of those who tested positive, but it should be tweaked and improved in response to new developments of the pandemic, daily if necessary.

Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated cities on Earth; and before herd immunity is achieved by getting enough residents vaccinated, which is not possible within a few months given the fact that vaccination has yet to roll out in the city, the only possible approach to stop the spread of COVID-19 is a combination of a complete lockdown and universal compulsory testing, as many cities on the mainland went through and emerged with flying colors. The “reasons” that we are reluctant to declare a citywide lockdown and universal compulsory testing scheme are in fact excuses because we have yet to actually do it. We should leave no stone unturned when it comes to containing the COVID-19 pandemic. Compared with complete lockdown plus compulsory testing, the “restriction testing” approach is just a tentative step at best and Hong Kong must not be complacent about the encouraging results, because the number of new confirmed cases is still hovering at 60-plus a day so far this week. And its effectiveness could wear off any time as a result of growing “restriction fatigue” among local residents, as has been the case with social distancing. 

We have reason to believe a rather selfish tendency, sometimes called free-rider mentality, has motivated some people to dodge compulsory nucleic acid testing however they could. Those who deliberately shunned the compulsory testing must be dealt with in a strict manner to deter such selfish behavior. The government, media and social influencers should all join efforts in educating the public about the importance of getting tested if we want to resume economic activities, even to near normal. Most if not all Hong Kong residents understand we must stop the spread of COVID-19 and achieve “zero infections” as soon as possible in order to reopen our doors to mainland visitors first and hopefully from overseas later. Hong Kong’s economy will rebound when its consumer services catering to tourism are back to near normal capacity and everybody knows it. The question is how badly the community wants it to happen and how willing people are to trade some of their personal freedoms temporarily for a quick end to restrictions.