Covid patients isolating at home will have to wear smart bracelets from Friday, Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau says, and their LeaveHomeSafe app will turn red when the color-coded health-code system launches to bar them from going out.
According to guidelines, if an infected person has received at least two Covid shots and their rapid antigen tests results are negative on days six and seven or any two consecutive days after day seven of the home quarantine period they are allowed out of their front doors.
These arrangement also apply to close contacts.
Lo said the preliminary plan is a red code for people testing positive and yellow for high-risk groups including overseas arrivals under medical surveillance. That would ban them from entering "no-mask" premises such as restaurants and high-risk venues such as care homes and hospitals.
A green code will indicate a healthy person.
On the seven-day hotel quarantine for overseas arrivals for Hong Kong and non-Hongkongers, Lo said he is mulling a change with part of the confinement to be home isolation.
As for those under a yellow code, they could take public transport, though details have to be confirmed.
He also said authorities are working to launch the color-coded system in the LeaveHomeSafe mobile app under a real-name registration.
But the new feature will not come with location tracking as the intention is to identify infected patients and people who are under quarantine.
Lo said currently about 60 percent of Covid patients, or over 12,000 people, are under home isolation. However, there is no precise measure to monitor whether these people abided by the quarantine order.
He said there were precedents for people in isolation to remove smart bracelets, so it was necessary to establish a color-coded system to ensure they followed the law.
Lo said authorities want to carry out more precise anti-pandemic work and do not want to make people pay a higher price for going along with the rules. And authorities do not want to implement a general lockdown like in Shanghai and Macau.
He said: "Hong Kong is very different from Shanghai or Macau in terms of the total population, in terms of the age distribution, and also in terms of vaccination [rates] as well as the fact that Hong Kong has already had the fifth wave, which has caused widespread infections. We've paid the price.
"In addition, Hong Kong is an international hub.
"All these [factors] are considered when we design our policy."
On long waits for travelers crossing the border via Shenzhen Bay Port, Lo apologized again for failing to implement crowd-control measures when the quota was increased to 2,000.
He expected around 500 quotas for humanitarian care covering eight types of travelers including seniors above 70, children under 14 and pregnant women.
Lo said an online registration system for people crossing the Shenzhen Bay Port will hopefully be launched this week.
Long queues remained at Shenzhen Bay port yesterday as people had to take a PCR test and await a result.
If they test negative they are given a green bracelet and can enter Shenzhen.
But some travelers who tested positive and were given a red bracelet have been spotted leaving the port themselves.
sophie.hui@singtaonewscorp.com
