Coronavirus: Mass testing begins in Hong Kong despite criticism

Hong Kong has started a free voluntary coronavirus testing programme.

The aim is to keep the number of infections down in the region.

Some people have criticized the plan, saying it is not an effective way of fighting the virus.

Others fear authorities may use the DNA collected for surveillance.

Labs in mainland China are helping with the testing. Hong Kong's authorities have dismissed the criticisms.

Testing began on Tuesday, and more than half a million residents registered. Hong Kong has a population of about 7.5 million.

Why is Hong Kong doing mass testing?

Hong Kong has kept the level of the virus fairly low, with under 5,000 confirmed infections. That is despite the population being very dense - meaning a lot of people live in a small area.

But people are worried that if there are a few small waves, they could lead to a larger outbreak of the infection again.

Authorities hope by doing mass testing they will be able to control the pandemic in Hong Kong.

Why is the testing controversial?

Many people disagree with the testing. A union of healthcare workers say mass testing is not an efficient way to deal with the pandemic. They think focused tests would be better.

Hong Kong is controlled by China but is a Special Administrative Region - that means it has more independence than some other areas and different rules to the rest of China.

A new law introduced in Hong Kong, by the Chinese government, means there are much harsher punishments for people who break certain rules, such as undermining the power of the government.

Many people in Hong Kong see these new laws as a threat to their rights and think China wants to make Hong Kong more like China. This has led to some people to distrust the authorities.

Some people worry that the samples collected from the tests might be used gather personal data and DNA.

Joshua Wong, an well known activist against China, has spoken out and urged people not to get tested. He said it: "fuels more concerns that the plan is a large scale DNA collection."