In Hong Kong, the zero covid policy continues and intensifies. The government is preparing to give confinement the true appearance of imprisonment. On July 11, the authorities of the archipelago announced that people who tested positive for Covid-19 will have to wear an electronic bracelet so that they can ensure that their isolation is respected, reports the British daily The Guardian.
“We need to make sure home isolation is more precise while still being humane,” said Lo Chung-Mau, Hong Kong’s new health secretary. If we give freedom to sick people and allow them to walk around, it will limit the freedom of those who are negative,” he argued.
In the event of non-compliance with this measure, which is therefore intended to be “humane”, people will incur a fine of up to 25,000 Hong Kong dollars, or nearly €3,100, and up to six months in prison. . Just that.
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However, this is not a first. The Hong Kong government had already used this type of equipment at the start of the Covid-19 crisis in 2020. New arrivals in the territory were thus ordered to quarantine and were ordered to put on an electronic bracelet with a QR code attached to an application, which could track the movements of its wearer, reports the American online media Insider.
Surveillance Growth
The authorities of the archipelago are also working on the introduction of new health measures, inspired by the Chinese model, which records the movements of people, their travel history, their test results…
Based on the data collected, the Chinese receive a color code (green, yellow and red, meaning high risk) which is displayed when scanning the personal QR code, when entering a public place. Citizens whose code is red or yellow are denied access until they can present negative tests, over a certain period.
Each QR code is linked to the application, Leave Home Safe, released in 2021. This only contains the user’s vaccination record and indicates whether a user has been in contact with an infected person. Lo Chung-Mau has therefore announced that it will be necessary to adapt the application for the next measures… Also, Hong Kongers will be asked to transmit to the platform more confidential information such as their real names, their identity card number , phone numbers… Their movements will also be recorded.
As a reminder, a scientific study from the prestigious Johns Hopkins University in February put an end to the debate around the question of the costs and benefits of containment measures. The conclusion is clear: little, if any, effect on mortality linked to Covid-19, but a disastrous economic and social cost.
See also: Lockdown measures had no effect on Covid mortality, Hopkins University finds