Hong Kong announced a mandate of electronic tracking bracelets for COVID-19 patients quarantined in their homes Monday, an effort to curb the spread of the virus that officials insist will not infringe on civil liberties.
The bracelets will be used to track those under home quarantine to make sure they do not leave their homes during the isolation period, according to the Guardian. The goal is to make sure quarantining at home is both “more precise” and “humane” without infringing on the population’s freedoms, according to Lo Chung-mau, the city’s new health secretary.
“It will not restrict the freedom of most people, who are neither infected nor required to isolate themselves either,” Lo said.
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The bracelets are part of the new health color-coding system in the country, which tracks movement through cellphone use. A QR code on the phone lights up green when a person has not been exposed to the virus and can enter any public space. The code glows yellow when a person has crossed paths with someone who recently tested positive and red if the phone’s owner tested positive. The yellow and red codes mean citizens have to stay out of high-risk areas, including hospitals, and wear masks, according to the outlet.
Human rights watchdogs have criticized China’s system, claiming the monitors are an invasion of privacy. The bracelets are also likely less effective because the system relies on self-reported results of COVID-19 tests, critics argue. The city used two prior iterations of bracelets to track COVID-19-positive people earlier in the pandemic.
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Hong Kong is aiming to relax its COVID-19 restrictions. The city recently resumed international flights, though travelers, who will be denoted as yellow in the app, will need to quarantine in hotels for seven days as a result of China’s “zero COVID-19” policy, which seeks to eliminate the virus from the country.
Breaching the order, which takes effect Friday, could result in a fine of up to 25,000 Hong Kong dollars, the equivalent of $3,717 in the United States, and up to six months in jail.
