Editorial:Don't put all eggs in the BGI basket - 20210428 - 英文 - 每日明報 - 明報新聞網

英文

Editorial:Don't put all eggs in the BGI basket

【明報專訊】The government has demanded the BGI Group, a contractor for COVID-19 virus testing, submit an investigation report and has temporarily stopped commissioning the laboratory to run mobile testing stations after a string of testing blunders revealed. The situation of the pandemic outside Hong Kong is volatile as COVID-19 variants rage across countries. Efforts to prevent the import of the mutant strains into the city have to be strict and tight, and testing is particularly a crucial part in the gatekeeping. BGI is responsible for collecting specimens from the airport and designated hotels for people under quarantine and conducting tests. No mistakes should be allowed. But recently, several false positive cases involving BGI's testing have been identified. An inbound traveller was also confirmed to have contracted the disease only after she had left the quarantine hotel and entered the community. The authorities must follow up the issue thoroughly to see whether the frontline workers are doing an adequate job of sample taking and whether there are loopholes in the measures taken by the laboratory to prevent contamination. In order to ensure a neutral and objective inquiry, the government should arrange for the participation of an independent third party. In view of the huge workload of virus testing, the government's expert advisors are concerned that the fatigue of frontline workers may affect their alertness and their haste may easily cause mistakes. If the authorities can distribute the work of virus testing appropriately, that will relieve the stress on individual contractors and avoid putting all eggs in one basket.

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