Hong Kong's teachers, students required to conduct COVID-19 test daily after schools reopen

HONG KONG, April 11 (Xinhua) -- Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam announced on Monday that schools will resume face-to-face classes in phases after the Easter holidays.

All staff, teachers and students are required to conduct COVID-19 rapid antigen tests (RATs) daily and only those tested negative can enter schools, Lam told a press conference.

As the pandemic recedes in Hong Kong, schools have strictly implemented a series of anti-pandemic measures, and nearly all staff and teachers were fully vaccinated, which provided favorable conditions for the resumption of face-to-face classes, she said.

However, the vaccination rates for children aged three to 11 were not satisfying, with only about 62 percent and 30 percent having received their first and second doses respectively, Lam said, urging parents to arrange for their children to get vaccinated sooner than later.

On Monday, Hong Kong registered 698 new COVID-19 cases by nucleic acid tests, and 709 additional positive cases through self-reported rapid antigen tests, official data showed.