(To watch the full press briefing with sign language interpretation, click here.)

The Centre for Health Protection today said it is investigating 3,138 additional COVID-19 cases, of which 1,589 were detected by nucleic acid tests and 1,549 were identified via rapid antigen tests (RATs). Among these positive cases, 12 were imported and the rest were locally acquired.

A total of 1,161,929 people have contracted the virus since the onset of the fifth wave of the epidemic, involving 8,049 deaths.

Additionally, the Government has invited all people in Hong Kong to do a daily RAT from April 8 to 10 by using the test kits in the anti-epidemic service bags distributed to households across the city. At a press briefing this afternoon, Centre for Health Protection Principal Medical & Health Officer Dr Albert Au added: “We encourage all the citizens in Hong Kong to take RATs during this weekend so that we can identify the silent or hidden cases in the community, offer treatment to them and also put them under isolation to cut all the transmission chains in the community.

“We hope that we can collect more data on the actual infection situation currently in Hong Kong.”

Meanwhile, the Government made restriction-testing declarations to cover Ching Chak House of Ching Ho Estate in Sheung Shui where sewage samples tested positive for the virus, and Yiu Wing House of Yiu On Estate in Sha Tin where a number of mutant strain-linked cases have been identified. People in the restricted areas must undergo compulsory testing before the specified deadline.

Separately, due to a number of positive cases as well as some sewage samples collected in Kowloon City testing positive for the virus, 25 specified places are included in a compulsory testing notice.

The Government will set up an additional mobile specimen collection station at the basketball court next to Wai Yuen House of Chuk Yuen North Estate in Wong Tai Sin tomorrow, while the station at the basketball court outside Hong Cheung House of Cheung Hong Estate in Tsing Yi will be open until Wednesday.

Furthermore, from tomorrow, a booking service will be available for the stations at MacPherson Playground in Mong Kok, On Hing Playground in Yuen Long and Tung Chung North Park.

As Korean Air flight KE607 from Seoul on April 2 had three passengers on board who tested positive for COVID-19 upon arrival, the Department of Health has prohibited the landing of the carrier’s passenger flights in Hong Kong from Seoul from April 4 to 10.

For information and health advice on COVID-19, visit the Government’s dedicated webpage.