Participants of a COVID-19 surveillance programme can make use of a door-to-door specimen collection service starting April 3 to submit their deep throat saliva specimens to the Department of Health for coronavirus testing.

Under the Enhanced Laboratory Surveillance Programme, the department is currently providing a free COVID-19 testing service for asymptomatic inbound travellers arriving from overseas under the Compulsory Quarantine of Persons Arriving at Hong Kong from Foreign Places Regulation.

Participants can either visit the department’s temporary specimen collection centre at the AsiaWorld-Expo for collecting and submitting their deep throat saliva specimens immediately upon arrival, or ask family members or friends to help deliver the specimens to designated collection points if they choose to collect the specimens during home quarantine.

To offer an alternative to inbound travellers, the Cyberport Startup Alumni Association has pulled together two member companies - GoGo Tech and HK PICK-UP - to provide a door-to-door specimen collection service.

Upon receiving requests from inbound travellers, the service providers will collect their specimen bottles from their registered address, except for outlying islands and other remote areas, and drop them off at a designated clinic or the Public Health Laboratory Centre.

Service providers will directly contact the individual inbound traveller and charge them a $100 fee.

The Government thanked the association and the two service providers for their support and contributions in fighting COVID-19 together.

It said the door-to-door collection service will fill an existing service gap and offer a convenient alternative for all inbound travellers who need to submit their specimens.

This will help ensure the early identification of confirmed cases for better public health protection, the Government added.