The Government is setting up four longer-term community testing centres at Quarry Bay Community Hall, Henry G Leong Yaumatei Community Centre, Lek Yuen Community Hall and Yuen Long Town East Community Hall.

The community testing centres mainly address the demand for paid COVID-19 testing to serve general community uses such as cross-boundary travel.

They are expected to start service in mid-November for an initial period of three months.

The Government will stipulate a specified price capped at $240 for self-paid testing services.

Having gone through a competitive procurement process, the contractors of the four testing centres are Prenetics, Kingmed Diagnostics (Hong Kong), Hong Kong Molecular Pathology Diagnostic Centre and BGI.

The testing centres will be operated by the contractors to carry out specimen collection and necessary work.

The centres will be open daily from 8am to 1.30pm and from 2.30pm to 8pm. Deep cleaning and disinfection will be conducted when they close in the afternoon and at night.

Specimen collection services using combined nasal and throat swabs and testing services for COVID-19 will be provided.

The centres aim to serve asymptomatic individuals holding valid Hong Kong identity cards, birth certificates or other valid identity documents.

Booking and walk-in services will be available.

Those who feel they have a higher risk of exposure or are experiencing mild discomfort can obtain specimen collection packs at the Hospital Authority's 46 general outpatient clinics to undergo free testing.