The digital consumption voucher scheme is meant to give timely relief to the needy, stimulate the coronavirus-battered economy and bring Hong Kong closer to a cashless society. Ironically, many less tech-savvy citizens feel they have been short-changed, after they failed to get their allocation as scheduled because of registration issues. The scene of frail and emotionally charged elderly people crowding a government office reflected badly on not only the administration’s poor preparation, but also the digital divide between the older and younger generations.

The government is to blame for failing to proactively follow up the registration issues. It said unsuccessful applicants had received a text message asking them to resubmit details, but the fact that they had shunned online registration in favour of paper forms suggests they are not familiar with the use of electronic devices. Some may not even have been able to read Chinese or English. This fiasco could have been avoided had the government reached out to those who did not respond to its messages. The priority now is to increase manpower in order to clear the backlog as quickly as possible.