S for IT thanks CIC for supporting “LeaveHomeSafe” mobile app (with photos)

     The Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Mr Alfred Sit, was joined by the Executive Director of the Construction Industry Council (CIC), Mr Albert Cheng, to visit construction sites at Kai Tak and Yau Tong today (December 17). Mr Sit expressed gratitude to the CIC for engaging the construction industry to fight the virus together and supporting the "LeaveHomeSafe" mobile app.
 
     Mr Sit said he was pleased to see that the CIC has promptly responded to the Government's suggestion by appealing to its stakeholders to scan the "LeaveHomeSafe" venue QR codes when entering construction sites. The CIC has displayed the "LeaveHomeSafe" venue QR codes in all of its premises, and more than 1 200 construction sites have also displayed "LeaveHomeSafe" venue QR codes at prominent places of construction sites.
 
     The local COVID-19 epidemic situation is getting severe again, with a high number of local cases of unknown infection sources covering all districts, all ages and all walks of life, and the age of critically ill patients dropping. The Government has again adopted more stringent social distancing measures. However, concerted efforts from the public are needed to make prevention and control work more effective, Mr Sit said.
 
     Mr Sit added, "We are at a critical juncture to fight the virus. Members of the public should stay at home as far as possible to beat this wave. Those who need to go out should fulfil their civic responsibility, making good use of the 'LeaveHomeSafe' mobile app to log records of their visits and taxi rides. App users who have visited the same venue at around the same time or have taken the same taxi on the same day as a COVID-19 confirmed case will receive exposure notification. Disease prevention and control will be more effective if individuals with exposure risks can be tested, isolated and treated early.
 
     "Contact tracing is fundamental to the efforts in preventing the further spread of the virus. To protect oneself and others and Hong Kong as a whole, I urge members of the public to get used to the 'LeaveHomeSafe' mobile app under the new normal. The digital tool can keep more precise records and can replace manual information collection. This will assist in speeding up work in tracing contacts and help Hong Kong recover from the epidemic."
 
     The "LeaveHomeSafe" mobile app so far has more than 380 000 downloads. At present, over 64 000 public and private venues have participated in the scheme, among which more than 51 000 are private venues. The mobile app can also be used directly in some 18 000 taxis. To make the "LeaveHomeSafe" mobile app more convenient for the public, the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) has been constantly enhancing the operation of the app. Three new functions, namely review of personal visit records, auto check-out and simplified steps for entering different venues, were added to the app last week. The OGCIO will continue to collaborate with the technology sector and academics to explore different technologies and solutions to make the app more easy to use.
 
     The "LeaveHomeSafe" mobile app upholds privacy protection. The purpose of the access permissions required by the "LeaveHomeSafe" mobile app is only for its smooth operation. User registration is not required. The app does not have a tracking function, nor does it use positioning services or any other data of the users' mobile phones. Venue check-in data will be encrypted and saved on users' devices only. Such data will not be uploaded to the Government or any other systems and will be erased automatically after 31 days.