Mad rush for masks

There was a mad online rush to sign up for the government's free reusable masks yesterday.

By last night, nearly 1.5 million residents had applied for the reusable CuMask+, which can be washed up to 60 times.

That followed an early rush to register online on the first day of the program.

Due to the huge online traffic flow, people had to wait for up to 20 minutes when applications opened at 7am, and by noon the Innovation and Technology Bureau recorded over one million applications - 13.3 percent of the SAR's 7.5 million population.

But the waiting time was from one to two minutes in the afternoon when the frenzy eased. The bureau was also reminding citizens that online registration for the masks lasts until June 6 so there was no need to rush.

Still, secretary for innovation and technology Alfred Sit Wing-hang said registrations went smoothly and most people completed the forms within several minutes.

A citizen can also apply for five family members at the same address, and Sit that should be done at the outset to facilitate delivery by Hongkong Post.

The registration page also comes with a video showing people how to wear a mask correctly, with the key point being a layer with stripes should face out and the curved side upward.

Since everyone will receive masks designed for adults, knots on the ear loops can adjust a fitting.

Some citizens were concerned with privacy of their personal data as registration requires names, Hong Kong ID numbers, dates of birth, mobile numbers and addresses.

On that, a spokesman for the IT Bureau said an ID number and date of birth was for matching with Immigration Department records to check an applicant holds a HKID card and to guard against anyone applying for a mask repeatedly. The mobile number is to text a successful applicant, and the name and address for delivery.

"The government will not use information entered for the mask registration for other purposes," the spokesman said, and the information is retained only "for a necessary period."

He added that the registration page is on the government's cloud system and is guarded against hackers and data leakage under layers of firewalls, hacker detectors and anti-virus and anti-robot software.

And the privacy commissioner for personal data, Stephen Wong Kai-yi, and a privacy specialist were consulted on the handling of personal information.

Sit also went on radio to talk about the reusable masks being invented by the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textile and Apparel, but officials were not disclosing the name of the manufacturer as that could bring competition from other countries and businessmen in procuring filters - a vital part in the mask design.

Masks are "a key anti-pandemic item around the world," Sit noted, so "details of manufacturers, raw materials and logistics are regarded as sensitive information."

But he said the production of CuMasks involved different places, and some parts were produced locally.

Rumors on the internet said Legislative Council president Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen's family business, Sun Hing Knitting Factory, was the manufacturer of the CuMask but the IT Bureau denied the claims.

Liberal party lawmaker for textiles and garments Felix Chung Kwok-pan said he understood why the government did not select the manufacturer of the CuMask by open tender but it could create an impression of possible conflict of interests as the government spent HK$800 million on the CuMask campaign.

"It involved a huge amount. The government should reveal more details after the end of the pandemic," he said.

On complaints the masks "look like underwear," Sit said it was a fact that, just like underwear, they should be washed every day after use.

He also encouraged citizens to tick an option on the registration to accept other anti-epidemic items at the same address so they will not have to register again if filters for the CuMask are distributed.