NGO Notes Confusion Over New Covid App Rule

An NGO said on Tuesday that frontline officers at different government premises were apparently adopting very different standards over the mandatory use of the LeaveHomeSafe Covid-19 app, even though the government said things ran “rather smoothly” after the new rule came into effect on Monday.

Chan Chung-yin from the Society for Community Organisation, which offers assistance to homeless people, said several street sleepers tried to enter government venues, including a squash centre, a Social Welfare Department office, wet markets and clinics.

Speaking on an RTHK programme, Chan said since some street sleepers did not have a smartphone and some didn’t have a phone at all, they were not able to use the app, and may not be able to leave a phone number either.

He said frontline staff at the squash centre said no exemptions could be given, while officers at a wet market let them in without verifying their identities. At another wet market they were told to contact the Information Services Department to clarify the rule themselves, Chan said.

The government had said it would adopt a lenient approach at first, but Chan said he worries that homeless people may eventually be deprived of some public services.

“Perhaps it was rather chaotic at the entrance, after we said there was no phone number, they allowed us in… but we are worried that when the implementation becomes smoother in future, they will be stricter with the rule, and there will be difficulties in verifying their identity,” he said.

Meanwhile, Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene Irene Yeung said the department had arranged more staff to help people with the new app requirement.

“People with the app should be able to enter [a wet market] quickly, but those who need to jot down their information may have to spend a few more minutes. But overall it has been smooth,” she told the same programme.

Some vendors complained that the app rule affected their business, but Yeung said she believes this would only be short-term as people will become more familiar with the app very soon.