Several government departments, the Hospital Authority and the Judiciary announced detailed arrangements for using the LeaveHomeSafe mobile app before entering their premises from November 1.

These arrangements were made following the Government’s announcement which said that except for exempted people, citizens have to use the app to scan the venue QR code before entering government buildings or offices.

The Food & Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) said the new arrangement will be applicable to its offices and indoor facilities including public markets, hawker bazaars and cooked food markets.

However, taking into consideration factors such as operational needs, actual situations and target customers, some of the venues will adopt special arrangements.

People are not required to use the app before entering the FEHD’s columbaria, gardens of remembrance, cemeteries, Gardens of Forever Love, refuse collection points, public bathhouses and public toilets. Venue QR codes are still available at the venues for visitors’ voluntary use.

In addition, people who are unable to use the app may complete the visitor registration form at the FEHD’s crematoria and offices for application of burial services.

For the Leisure & Cultural Services Department, the new arrangement is applicable to all museums, public libraries and performance venues; indoor sports facilities including sports centres, squash centres, standalone squash courts, badminton centres, table tennis centres and the Hong Kong Velodrome; outdoor sports facilities including sports grounds, fee-charging grass pitches, tennis courts, tennis practice courts, bowling greens, archery ranges, golf driving range and practice greens; and public swimming pools.

The Home Affairs Department announced that all community halls and community centres (including those used as temporary shelters), home affairs enquiry centres, office of the Licensing Authority, and

office of the Estate Beneficiaries Support Unit will implement the new arrangement.

Also, the app has to be used before entering the Department of Health’s venues such as offices, clinics and health centres.

While similar arrangements apply to the Hospital Authority’s head office and administration blocks of public hospitals, the authority noted that people visiting other areas of public hospitals and other healthcare facilities under the authority will also be required to use the app, if doing so is operationally feasible and the provision of healthcare services is not affected.

For the Judiciary where LeaveHomeSafe is required, people who do not have smart phones with them but must attend the Judiciary’s premises for the purpose of handling court business can be exempted. This decision was made after striking a balance between public health and ensuring access to justice/court, the Judiciary said.

Generally speaking, citizens aged below 12 or above 65 and those with disabilities that render use of the LeaveHomeSafe app difficult are exempted from the new arrangement. Relevant organisations may, however, grant exemption or exercise discretion based on actual circumstances.

Exempted people are required to complete a prescribed form to register their names, the first four digits or letters of their identification documents, their contact numbers and the date and time of their visits. They are also required to present the identification documents for verification by the staff on-site. The staff on-site will verify the contact numbers by making phone calls on the spot.

As it will take time to register and verify the personal particulars, the waiting time for using public services or entering the premises may be lengthened. The organisations appeal for citizens’ understanding and co-operation. They encourage exempted people to use the app as far as possible in order to save time.