Easy-to-use app helps HK tamp down virus

Some 6,000 public and private venues and more than 18,000 taxis have pledged to take part in a Covid-19 tracing app to be launched on Monday.

The free "LeaveHomeSafe" app, developed by the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer, will allow people to record the date and time of their stay at different venues by scanning the QR code of places to log their arrival time and clicking the leave button to mark their departure.

Cabbies and passengers can also use the app to scan the registration mark inside the taxi door to record their journey.

The app will notify users who have visited the same venues as patients at around the same time so they can heighten vigilance and get tested if possible.

Secretary for Innovation and Technology Alfred Sit Wing-hang said the government has been developing the app since August and has spent HK$1 million on the project.

Public premises - including government offices, sports grounds, swimming pools, libraries, wet markets, food courts, community halls, public estates, hospitals, clinics, post offices and construction sites - and private venues - such as restaurants, bars, karaoke lounges, fitness centers and banks - have become partners of the program and have QR codes for scanning.

"The government has been actively engaging with trades and businesses and welcomes more sectors to participate in the scheme and contribute to epidemic prevention and control work in Hong Kong," Sit said.

On privacy concerns, Sit said the app adheres to personal data privacy principles.

"User registration is not required and the app will not use positioning services or other data on the users' mobile phones," he said.

"Venue check-in data will be encrypted and saved on users' devices only. Such data will not be uploaded to the government or any other system."

Check-ins, Sit added, will be deleted automatically from phones after 31 days.

The app supports iOS, Android, and Huawei mobile devices. Details of the program are available on www.leavehomesafe.gov.hk

"Under the new normal, we need to use technology to upgrade anti-virus measures," Sit said.

"The app is an example of utilizing technology to encourage and facilitate citizens to create a habit of tracking their whereabouts, to help lower risks of virus transmission."

Bars welcomed the app's launch, with the Lan Kwai Fong Association saying 20 percent of its members are already part of the scheme.

Members also believe the tracking system can boost customer confidence.

Francis Fong Po-kiu, honorary chairman of the Hong Kong Information Technology Federation, said the app "does not seem to be risky in terms of privacy."

But he said the effectiveness of the app mostly depends on how many people install and use it and whether restaurants and shopping malls are willing to take part in the program.

jane.cheung@singtaonewscorp.com