Govt to choose from dozen of SVFs to distribute the e-vouchers

There are around a dozen of Stored Value Facilities (SVFs) available for the government to choose from and distribute the HK$5,000 "electronic consumption vouchers", said Alfred Sit Wong-hang, Secretary for Innovation and Technology.

The innovation and technology chief said the government will find the most convenient and simple way to hand out the vouchers, hoping members of the public to get their hands on them as soon as possible.

“A case in point is the Faster Payment System launched by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, a total of 7 million people were using the system so far,” said Sit.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po revealed in his annual budget address that HK$5,000 in coupons would be given to every adult permanent resident and new immigrant.

The government is planning to disburse the sum in five monthly installments and recipients must spend the entire HK$1,000 before they can receive the next tranche.

Meanwhile, Sit said the “LeaveHomeSafe” app has had more than 3.34 million downloads since its launch, equal to around 40 percent of Hong Kong’s total population.

He urged citizens to make use of the app to help authorities fight the epidemic.