All people infected with coronavirus in Hong Kong will be forced to stay at home and from Friday will be made to wear a tracker to monitor their movements too.
The electronic tags will be worn around the wrist and notify authorities if you leave your home address.
Speaking at the government’s daily coronavirus press conference yesterday, Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau said that close to 60 per cent of infected people in the city were now isolating at home, with the figure standing at 12,419 as of Sunday.
He said it is necessary to introduce measures such as wearing an electronic wristband to ensure they do not leave their home during the isolation period.
He said: “Every day, we have 2,000 to 3,000 [new cases of] people infected with Covid-19. A large proportion is undergoing home isolation,” he added.
In comparison the UK recorded 142,000 cases in one day on July 6, and has a rolling 7-day average of 26,000 cases.
Mr Lo said it is necessary to introduce an app to ensure infected individuals are barred from entering high risk venues.
The health chief said that those who receive a positive PCR test result will get a red code, meaning they cannot go into such venues.
He added that the app is also necessary due to calls for a reduction of the current seven-day hotel quarantine for inbound travellers from around the world.
Hong Kong has reported 9,419 coronavirus-related deaths since the pandemic began, compared to 181,000 in the UK.
The country recently lifted its ban on airlines which saw them stopped from flying into Hong Kong for five days if their flights brought in more than five people infected with coronavirus.
