HONG KONG -- The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government has taken measures to enhance the capacity for rapid nucleic acid tests at Shenzhen Bay Control Point amid growing northbound passenger flow, with a view to earnestly addressing people's concerns and difficulties in daily life.

With the quotas for Shenzhen's quarantine hotels increased to 2,000 per day earlier and compassionate quotas been added for application by specific groups, the number of travellers departing for Shenzhen through Shenzhen Bay Control Point has been on the rise.

The outbound passenger flow during morning peak hours on Sunday was relatively large, leading to a rather long waiting time for outbound travellers to undergo the special nucleic acid test prior to departure at Shenzhen Bay Control Point, said Lo Chung-mau, health secretary of the HKSAR government who visited Shenzhen Bay Control Point on Sunday.

"I am sorry for the bottleneck situation at Hong Kong control point and the inconvenience encountered by the outbound travellers following the quota increase of Shenzhen's quarantine hotels," he said. "I have already asked the testing operator to continue to strengthen capacity in conducting rapid nucleic acid test, so as to avoid prolonged waiting arising from clustering of travellers."

The HKSAR government has already instructed the testing operator to put additional testing machines and manpower.

Lo said he will continue to liaise with the mainland authorities and proactively drive collaboration between Hong Kong and Shenzhen to enhance joint efforts in the prevention and control of the COVID-19 epidemic.

"We shall respond to the needs of the citizens as far as possible and expedite the realization of cross-boundary travel between Shenzhen and Hong Kong while fighting and containing the epidemic," he said.