Thousands Of Venues Back Covid Tracing App: Govt

The government says around 6,000 private and public venues have so far pledged to take part in a new coronavirus tracing app which will be launched on Monday, with users also able to record any journeys they make in the city's 18,000 or so taxis.

The "Leave Home Safe" app will record people's whereabouts and notify them if they have visited a place which is subsequently linked to a Covid-19 infection.

Secretary for Innovation and Technology Alfred Sit insisted on Wednesday that people should not have any privacy concerns about the app and stressed that using it will be voluntary.

Users will be able to scan a QR code as they enter a venue and then tap a button on the app as they leave to record the time of their stay. When it comes to taxis, users can input the car's licence plate.

Sit said users won't have to register any personal details, the system doesn't make use of GPS, and the information recorded will be encrypted and stored on the users' phones, rather than any government database.

He said records will be deleted after 31 days.

Sit urged the public to download the app and more businesses to promote it, saying it will be a convenient digital tool to help people work out if they have been in contact with a coronavirus patient.

The app will be available on both Android and iPhones.