Why Hong Kong’s Covid-19 health code is not some Faustian bargain

The new system won’t mean giving up all our rights to privacy in return for a shot at a normal life. And it is by no means a panacea for all our pandemic woes

But in a dynamic Covid-19 situation with few options left, a health code can help reduce transmission risks and aid economic recovery

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Adam Au

Adam Au is the general counsel at a multinational corporation.

Published: 8:45am, 16 Jul 2022

Long before the government proposed introducing a health code system on a par with the mainland health codes, Hong Kong people were already accustomed to daily Covid-19 news. Now, save for face masks and travel restrictions, Hong Kong society seems to have largely returned to normal.

Concerns have arisen over whether this announcement is a ploy to keep Hong Kong citizens under surveillance, a thinly veiled attempt by the new administration to ingratiate themselves with the mainland authorities, or a last-ditch effort to tackle a predicament fumbled by the previous administration.

These barbed arrows of criticism are understandable but not necessarily realistic. Many lament that Hong Kong has not followed others around the world in relaxing controls and opening borders. But what if our Covid-19 cases and death rates surge again?

As has been shown time and again, a sudden upswing in infections can overload tracing and testing capacity, resulting in delays in contact tracing, thus increasing transmissibility. The health code can help drive down transmission risks without causing system fatigue.