Taxi drivers to undergo mandatory COVID-19 test in Hong Kong

Hong Kong – The Transport Department would be launching a one-off mandatory testing scheme for taxi drivers in view of the latest pandemic situation.

From Wednesday (December 9), the government would provide free tests using nasal and throat swabs at 13 dedicated testing centers for two weeks until December 22.

In a statement, a spokesperson of the Food and Health Bureau said taxi drivers who would be taking passengers between December 25 to January 23 are subject to the COVID test.

Taxi drivers are required to make an appointment by telephone and undergo the test at the Dedicated Testing Centers at a specific time slot.

The spokesman added those who have participated in the testing at the dedicated testing centers will be issued with a “compulsory testing tag for taxi drivers” at the centers. The tag can be displayed at a prominent position inside the taxi compartment to enable passengers’ checking.

Anyone who fails to comply with the testing notice would face a fixed penalty of HK$5,000, which would be implemented next week. The person would also be issued with a compulsory testing order to undergo testing within a specified period, and failure to comply with the order would be liable for HK$25,000 fines or six months imprisonment.

Tags: coronavirus, covid, covid-19, Covid19

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Keep Taxis Alive Organization (KeepTaxisAlive.Org) was founded to empower taxi drivers worldwide and keep the taxi industry alive. It is a platform the taxi drivers’ community can use to shed a light on the danger faces the public and the taxi industry all around the world from unregulated ride share providers, especially UBER. We invite all taxi drivers to be part of our community and voice out their thoughts on our platform and share their ideas on how to improve our industry and Keep Taxis Alive.