Health chief defends regular NATs for casino workers

SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid tests (NAT) and rapid antigen tests (RAT) will complement each other for key groups, now including casino and construction workers, the local health chief said yesterday.

A new requirement for casino workers and visitors, as well as construction workers, will be in place from July 1.

Starting on that day, casino staff and visitors, as well as construction site workers, will be required to return negative NAT results from within the last 48 hours in order to access casinos and construction sites.

Workers will also be required to take a RAT every day before going to work. If they receive a positive result, they should call for an ambulance immediately.

At yesterday’s daily health press briefing, it was asked whether workers could choose to perform only one of the types of tests, because to do both would cause not just inconvenience, but also physical risk, to workers.

In response, pulmonologist Alvis Lo, director of the Health Bureau (SSM), explained that both methods complement each other in detecting infections in communities.

“They will help us spot positive cases as early as possible, which is our primary job,” Lo said.

Due to the level of potential risk, certain types of workers should regularly take either or both of the two tests, Lo added. He stressed that this requirement has already been in place as a regular strategy. “The coverage and frequency have only been expanded as per the characteristics of each outbreak and the development of potential risks,” the pulmonologist explained.

He added that adjustments to measures would take place sooner or later, but “integrated evaluation” is a must.

Asked whether the government will set up designated testing stations for specific occupations, the health chief appealed to employers and companies for assistance with this.

The health chief also announced that the Earth Tower of the Sheraton hotel will be used to accommodate positive cases. The tower has 2,000 rooms in total.