The Government announced today that the existing rapid antigen testing (RAT) requirement applicable to public hospitals, residential care homes for the elderly and residential care homes for people with disabilities will be lifted on Saturday.

Visitors to public hospitals and residential care homes will not be required to undergo a RAT prior to their visits. At the same time, clinical staff of public hospitals as well as staff and residents of residential care homes will no longer be required to take a daily RAT.

As the COVID-19 epidemic continues to subside and society resumes normalcy, the strategies for epidemic management have entered into a new stage and a new mode, the Government said.

With COVID-19 now being treated and managed as an upper respiratory tract illness, the removal of the RAT requirement is in line with the latest epidemic development and risk management principle, on par with the measures for handling other upper respiratory tract illnesses.

To sustain the protection for targeted groups and key premises as well as to reduce the risk of virus transmission, the Government reminded all visitors and staff of public hospitals and residential care homes to wear a mask in these premises.