Sr. Prof. Charles Wong Man Sing (right) , Prof. Chen Wu (middle) and Dr. Zhu Xiaolin (left) gave presentation in a press conference in Sept 2021.
On behalf of Prof. Wu Chen, Sr. Prof. Charles Wong Man-sing at the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI) introduced a new contact tracing mobile app developed by LSGI in an RTHK radio 1 programme on 9 Sept 2021. The mobile app is powered with a contact tracing feature that targets inbound travellers when borders reopen. By utilising GPS and Bluetooth, the app can record where the users have visited within the last 14 days.
Prof. Wong said the main difference between the PolyU app and LeaveHomeSafe launched by the government is that users of LeaveHomeSafe have to scan QR codes wherever they go, while the PolyU app can trace the users’ tracks automatically. However, unlike LeaveHomeSafe, the PolyU app could not trace the whereabouts of users down to a restaurant or a unit in a building, therefore the two apps could complement each other.
According to a study using an epidemic model with 50% vaccination coverage, the infectious population could be reduced by 84.7% with digital contact tracing, and further reduced by 94% if coupled with social distancing measures.
Prof. Wong revealed that their app will be ready to use soon, and they are negotiating with the government in this regard.
