Tech giants to help work at home plan

Digital Economy and Society (DES) Minister Buddhipongse Punnakanta said he will today meet mobile phone operators and internet service providers to support government officials and office staff working from home in a bid to avoid the risk of Covid-19 infections.

Mobile and internet service operators, as well as Microsoft, Line and Google will be asked to help people work from home via applications which can be downloaded free and will not affect current mobile phone packages, the minister said.

He also said the DES has rolled out a new mobile app “SydeKick for ThaiFightCOVID” to monitor people coming from countries heavily hit by the coronavirus who are required to self-quarantine.

People arriving from Covid-19-hit countries including China, Iran, Italy and South Korea, must give their locations during 14-day self-quarantine.

The move came as the government scrapped its quarantine facilities and allowed people travelling from Covid19-hit countries to quarantine at home.

Anyone required to self-quarantine must download the app, fill in contact information, and take photos of their passports and boarding pass to identify themselves, Mr Buddhipongse said.

He added the information will be kept by the Disease Control Department, which should boost public confidence about measures to counter the outbreak.

The system will help government staff monitor daily behaviour of at-risk groups, and determine whether they stay at home in line within the specified period, he said.

He also said DES authorities had arrested five people for releasing fake news regarding Covid-19 and handed them to the Technology Crime Suppression Division.