HONG KONG, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Chief Executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam said Monday that the sole purpose of the upcoming massive COVID-19 screening is to protect people's health and help Hong Kong get rid of the epidemic soon.

Lam said on her social media account that experts have agreed that the testing will identify asymptomatic patients in the community and help Hong Kong revive the economy and residents resume their normal lives at an early date.

Lam called on the public to actively participate in the testing and said she is confident that the epidemic will be contained with the joint efforts of the central and HKSAR governments, mainland professionals and Hong Kong residents.

She also criticized rumor-mongers who slander the testing for their own political gains.

As support from the central government has boosted its testing capacity, Hong Kong will start the universal testing on Sept. 1 and plans to complete it in no more than two weeks. The testing will be conducted for free and on a voluntary basis.