Seniors Hongkongers who are bad and digitally illiterate will face troubles using a new health program code system for identifying coronavirus-positive patients, concern groups have warned, as more than one in four such occupants still do not own smartphones.
Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau on Monday revealed the government would certainly adopt the system, a new feature to be added to the city’s “Leave Home Safe” Covid-19 risk-exposure app, below which infected inhabitants quarantining at home is going to be issued a crimson health code.
Inbound travellers, whom could later be permitted to undergo part of their particular week-long quarantine at home rather than spending all seven days at a designated hotel, will be released a yellow code. Both groups will be barred from going to high-risk areas.
Although details of the prepared upgrade have yet to be rolled away, some concern groups said it could be challenging to navigate for a lot of elderly residents, who had been already struggling to utilize the app.
Sze Lai-shan, mouthpiece director of the Modern society for Community Organisation (SoCO), said it could be difficult for the aged and homeless to adapt to the dual-colour coded system, as much did not own the smartphone or are not adept at working such devices.
According to Sze, countless homeless residents have no access to a mobile phone, while the number meant for elderly Hongkongers is at the hundreds of thousands, numerous not knowing how to use apps or even their phones.
“It is going to be hard for (the elderly) to use and also read the code itself, ” Sze mentioned. “A paper edition of the code can make things easier, yet those who are too outdated or have eyesight issues will still helping you. ”
Sze suggested ramping upward community help throughout the city and presenting a policy that free the elderly from the improve.
According to the Census and Statistics Department’s Thematic Household Survey Document released in May, nearly one million people aged 65 plus above owned the smartphone in 2021, accounting for 73% of the total aged population, up from 68. 1% a year earlier.
Experts and social workers said the rise in phone possession was mainly due to the mandatory use of the Leave Home Safe app to enter numerous premises including dining places and government facilities.
But the staying 27% or about 370, 000 elderly people did not own a smartphone.
Several elderly residents flocked to buy smartphones following the launch of the application, while some organisations given such devices to the underprivileged.
Wong Siu-wai, senior interpersonal work supervisor at NGO Caritas Neighborhood Development Service, mentioned although more seniors owned smartphones, many still faced difficulties using the device as well as the app without help.
Aside from an absence of digital awareness, bad eyesight and clumsy fingers also made it hard for them to get around a small screen, the lady said.
The lady added that the girl expected similar problems for underprivileged elderly residents after the release of the new health code.
“It is hard for seniors to adapt to new things. It will depend on how user-friendly the health program code system is, ” she said, urging the federal government to consult residents as well as concern groupings when designing the system to eliminate any hurdles.
Ivan Lin Wai-kiu, a community organiser in SoCO, said he was concerned within the potential scale associated with inconvenience and stress the coming policy change could bring, citing his experience helping the elderly register for a Hong Kong wellness code released last year for residents to comply with mainland Chinese language pandemic control specifications when travelling across the border.
“Even if the elderly possess a phone, a staggering digital gap remains. Prior to we even talk about the red or yellow codes, enrolling for the vaccine pass was already difficult for most elderly residents, ” Lin said.
Frontline staff in SoCO received nearly 100 pleas with regard to help when the mainland-compatible Hong Kong health program code was released last Dec.
Lin stated the number of calls for assist was overwhelming intended for his frontline co-workers, and he was concerned that the new system’s real-name registration functionality could lead to many requests for assistance.
The potential for complicated, repeating logins under the most recent policy change would make it difficult for the elderly to use the machine. Meanwhile, insufficient avenues for help posed another problem.
Lin called on authorities to set up a lot more spots offering assistance around the city, within places such as submit offices to government-run elderly service centers and even MTR channels, with digital ambassadors stationed at checkpoints to help residents.
Communication from the federal government on how to navigate the particular coming updates should also be improved, Lin said.
He or she added that he got already seen several panic among the elderly over the system, as they worried about how so when to register.
“As the government hikes the particular digital threshold for its policy, it is worth asking if the issues presented would alienate some of the more reclusive elderly residents from social life, ” Lin said.
The Post has contacted the Health Bureau for comment. – South Tiongkok Morning Post