Dr Yii questions effectiveness of QR-coded wristbands

KUCHING: Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii questions the effectiveness of the QR-coded wristbands issued by the State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) to visitors entering Sarawak.

He wondered whether the tag have real time tracking capabilities to track the location of the person who has been tagged round the clock for a week where ever the person is or only when the person check in at 8am and 8pm daily.

The QR-coded wristbands, engineered by the Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA), were categorised into those for person-under-investigation (PUI) and those undergoing a 14-day home quarantine.

“What if the people with 14day stay home notice category or Person-Under-Surveillance (PUS), scan the QR code at 8am, go out to public places to have a meal and be back at 8pm to scan it again? Can it detect the persons' location in between those period?” asked Dr Yii in a statement yesterday.

Dr Yii's concern about the wristband stemmed from reported cases of PUS breaking their home-quarantine by going out even with the tag, cutting the tag or hiding them before they go out. For him that was a cause for concern and showed gaps in the system.

“From the so-called instruction leaflet provided, a PUS is supposed to scan the QR code at 8am and 8pm every day, then after the 14 days or whatever days given, the PUS were asked to cut the tag themselves! This order is a real cause for concern as it increases the risk of possible infection to the general public, especially if the PUS is a carrier of the Covid-19 virus,” he said.

From the different cases he saw of people cutting it and going out, he said it is safe to assume that the wristband does not have such functions as advertised and is probably merely an accessory to “scare” people to comply.

While he understands a huge part comes down to the social responsibility of the PUS themselves, but if these tracking tags cannot do those things it is ‘advertised to do', he questioned the decision to have it in the first place.

“The use of such Digital Tracking Tag provided by SDMC for those returning to Sarawak who are put on what is known as home quarantine has raised a lot of questions not just on its effectiveness, but even its cost to the government,” opined Dr Yii.

He also asked how much the tags and the tracking facilities cost because it involved public funds. Even if there is information on how much was spent on the wristband, Dr Yii said the state government should not insist on such tag if it has little function and did not help address the issue of compliance especially among the PUS.

“Why not adopt other methods including those used in other parts of the world which have shown to have good results such as in Taiwan, or some parts of China?

“While discussion of personal privacy is very important, but in times of public health control it may come with certain exceptions as well.”

Any gaps or lack in the system must be properly addressed if not it is a waste of money especially if it does not serve its proper role he added.

Recently, SDMC started issuing QR-coded wristbands to visitors entering Sarawak to ensure that the authorities can monitor their whereabouts during the Movement Control Order (MCO).