Confusion over e-voucher registration, missed SMS messages show Hong Kong’s elderly need more help: lawmakers

A long queue formed outside a government office in Mong Kok on Thursday morning, as residents sought to reapply for the consumption vouchers

City’s largest political party calls for more manpower to help older Hongkongers navigate the process, noting some don’t even use a cellphone

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People queue up to inquire about Hong Kong’s consumption voucher scheme on Thursday morning in Mong Kok. Photo: Sam Tsang

Published: 2:21pm, 2 Sep 2021Updated: 11:26pm, 2 Sep 2021

More than 100 Hongkongers, mostly elderly residents who have yet to receive their digital consumption vouchers, queued outside a government office in Mong Kok on Thursday, despite the deadline for registration having been extended until September 15.

Confusion among some older people has prompted calls from lawmakers and district councillors to boost manpower to help participants navigate the application process. The issue has also sparked criticism over a government decision to issue updates about the programme by SMS.

Dozens of residents could also be seen queuing outside the same Mong Kok office a day earlier as the first HK$2,000 (US$257) vouchers were distributed to those who had registered on or after July 18.

The pro-establishment Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), the city’s largest political party, said more than 1,000 people had sought its help after realising they had not properly filled out their forms.

Hong Kong residents fill out their applications for the city’s e-voucher scheme on Thursday at Mong Kok’s Pioneer Centre. Photo: Sam Tsang

The government on late Wednesday evening announced that the deadline for resubmissions would be extended by two weeks.

Registration can be done in person or by a trusted party at the Consumption Voucher Scheme Secretariat in Mong Kok’s Pioneer Centre, with disbursement of the first voucher for those filing now set for October 1.