The hygiene of a COVID-19 test-kit provider engaged by the Hong Kong government appears to be suspect, Apple Daily has found ahead of the start of a universal testing program on Tuesday.

Concerns are emerging about whether the Prenetics test kits are already contaminated before leaving the factory, as the citywide tests continue to be dogged by doubts over safety and effectiveness.

Apple Daily paid an undercover visit at about 1 p.m. on Aug. 26 to a packaging plant run by Prenetics, the only government-assigned Hong Kong supplier in the citywide tests, and Circle DNA, a Prenetics unit providing DNA testing services, after receiving complaints about hygienic issues.

According to a staffer known only as Chan, the factory’s workers did not wear gloves, shower caps or isolation gowns while at work. Their temperatures were not checked before entering the plant and sterilization procedures were less than thorough, she said.

Chan’s revelations concurred with Apple Daily’s findings in the undercover visit. Pictures showed debris strewn on the floor and workers unequipped with any protective gear as they worked.

As it was lunchtime during the visit, some were seen eating at their work tables and leaving their personal belongings on those tables, including water bottles and cellphones. Sanitization was not available after they returned from the bathroom.

“The warehouse is dirty. You can often hear people cough and sneeze, but you don’t see them use any alcoholic hand rub to clean themselves,” Chan said, adding that workers did not change their gloves regularly and would step on containers.

Apple Daily, on a visit to the Prenetics’ test laboratory on the same day, saw staffers with protective gear such as gloves and masks.

The government’s voluntary Covid-19 testing program, which targets the general population, has been plagued by doubts since its announcement last month. Partly conducted by medical personnel from mainland China, it is a source of worry among pro-democracy activists, lawmakers and local medical workers that Hongkongers’ DNA data could be collected and passed to mainland authorities.

As of 5 p.m. on Tuesday, the first day of the program, more than 651,000 residents out of the city’s population of 7.5 million had registered for the tests. The scheme operates between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. at 141 sample collection centers across all 18 districts.

Prenetics president Danny Yeung, responding to Apple Daily queries, said that because the factory and the warehouse had been put into use for a month, the operation appeared to be chaotic and undesirable.

“We haven’t had enough time, so we have moved our priority to basically making sure we can help Hong Kong communities first and foremost,” he said.

Yeung added that they had been working to improve hygiene conditions since early August. He emphasized that the packaging issues would not affect the product and that the test laboratory was located away from the packaging plant.

The government’s Food and Environmental Hygiene Department acknowledged that hygiene in the warehouse, which was used for storing and packing the test kits, was “unsatisfactory on days when deliveries peaked.”

The department said it had ordered Prenetics to strictly adhere to safety and hygiene guidelines, and that the conditions of the plant “have significantly improved” after the order.

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