When Hong Kong made a COVID-19 check-in app mandatory at restaurants, friends Birdy and Bu — wary of government tracking — decided to avoid eateries entirely and go for picnics instead.
The idea caught fire: Their private social media picnic group has swelled from 50 in December to more than 6,000 members, as many look to avoid sharing data in Hong Kong, where distrust of the Beijing-backed authorities runs deep.
Instead of scanning QR codes at restaurants with the government’s “Leave Home Safe” app, they simply order takeaway and find spots to eat with friends.
Photo: AFP
“I just don’t like being forced,” Birdy said over a weekend picnic with Bu and another friend, Dominic, at a small park, their food and drinks neatly arranged on a blanket next to a playground.
Birdy and Bu — who declined to share their full names over safety concerns — named their picnic group “Leave Home Wild.”
Hong Kong has kept COVID-19 at bay with a relatively tiny caseload, thanks to some of the world’s strictest border controls and social distancing requirements.
In December, the government made it compulsory for all adults under 65 to log their presence at various public venues — including eateries, cinemas and gyms — with the official app.
Similar apps have been deployed around the world during the pandemic. However, in Hong Kong, acceptance of the technology is unavoidably linked with the public’s relationship with the authorities.
“I am so frustrated,” one user wrote in the picnic group. “But I will never scan that code for eating inside a restaurant.”
Despite the privacy concerns, Hong Kong is pressing ahead with the tech.
Last month, it said the Leave Home Safe app would double as a vaccine pass, with a valid COVID-19 inoculation record becoming a requirement for many public venues.
Failure to comply with check-in rules at locations such as restaurants can carry fines as high as HK$5,000 (US$641) for customers, and could land owners in jail for up to six months with a maximum fine of HK$50,000.
Hong Kong authorities have shown little tolerance for dissent, and with a “patriots only” electoral system in place, there is negligible pushback to the government in the legislature.
Those avoiding the app are keen to steer clear of the “resistance” label.
Instead of standing up to authorities, cofounder Bu said they are “lying flat” — the first rule in their group is members should not urge others to boycott the app.
“People can neither express their concerns via elected legislators nor protest and rally on streets,” he said. “What other choice is left except for not participating?”
As the app becomes a necessity at more places, it is uncertain how long they can avoid it.
Bu and Dominic said they bought separate phones solely for the app.
However, Birdy said she would avoid it for as long as she can — a position that has meant she cannot attend her best friend’s wedding reception.
“What kind of relationship do I have with the government that allows it to track me so closely?” she said.
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