Poor, digitally illiterate elderly Hongkongers to face difficulties using new health code system for identifying coronavirus cases: concern groups
- Concern groups say elderly residents will struggle to navigate new dual-colour coded system to be introduced as upgrade to ‘Leave Home Safe’ app
- Many older residents do not own smartphones, according to Sze Lai-shan, deputy director of the Society for Community Organisation
Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau on Monday revealed the government would adopt the system, a new feature to be added to the city’s “Leave Home Safe” Covid-19 risk-exposure app, under which infected residents quarantining at home will be issued a red health code.
Inbound travellers, who could later be allowed to undergo part of their week-long quarantine at home rather than spending all seven days at a designated hotel, will be issued a yellow code. Both groups will be barred from visiting high-risk areas.
Though details of the planned upgrade have yet to be rolled out, some concern groups said it could be challenging to navigate for many elderly residents, who were already struggling to use the app.
Sze Lai-shan, deputy director of the Society for Community Organisation (SoCO), said it would be difficult for the elderly and homeless to adapt to the dual-colour coded system, as many did not own a smartphone or were not adept at operating such devices.
According to Sze, hundreds of homeless residents do not have access to a smartphone, while the number for elderly Hongkongers was in the hundreds of thousands, with many not knowing how to use apps or even their phones.
“It will be hard for [the elderly] to use and even read the code itself,” Sze said. “A paper version of the code will make things easier, but those who are too old or have eyesight problems will still need help.”