Asian countries battling a new wave of coronavirus infections brought in by travelers from abroad are turning to high-tech wristband monitors, jail time and steep fines in an escalation of containment measures.
As the pandemic widens overseas and engulfs Europe in particular, places like Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan that had successfully contained their first wave from China are now facing a second surge from the West. In the past week, they all saw new cases hit record highs primarily due to travelers carrying the virus arriving at their borders.
That’s forced governments to double down on surveillance technology to prevent the new infections from spreading, as well as implement strict travel bans and stay-home orders that undercut their reputations as open travel hubs. The virus has infected over 211,000 globally and killed over 8,700, and its epicenter has shifted to Europe, which has now surpassed China in number of infections.
Adding to Asia’s woes, some of its bigger, poorer countries like India, Indonesia and Malaysia are seeing reported cases spike as authorities finally begin testing in earnest for the virus, pointing to the likelihood that infected people have been circulating in their populations for far longer than known. India barred all international flights from landing in the country for a week starting March 22 and ordered businesses to have employees work-from-home.
Singapore, located near other Southeast Asian countries where testing has lagged behind, saw its largest one-day increase of cases on Wednesday, with 47 additional infections mostly from travelers entering the country. It reported another 32 on Thursday for a total of 345.
The government has implored locals to defer unnecessary trips, banned visitors from four European countries, and issued orders to travelers from Southeast Asia and other countries to stay home for two weeks. One of its biggest hospitals is converting part of its multistory parking lot into a fever screening area in response to the increasing infections, the Straits Times reported.
Hong Kong also had its biggest daily increase on Wednesday, with 25 new cases mostly of travelers and students returning from abroad, primarily Europe. Its total as of Thursday was 199. It’s now ordered all people entering the territory, except from Macau and Taiwan, to submit to a mandatory 14-day quarantine.
Taiwan, with a total of 107 cases, has barred all new foreign arrivals with few exceptions. Vietnam—where a reprieve of three weeks with no cases was interrupted by an outbreak tied to a flight from London to Hanoi—is putting everyone arriving from countries hit with the virus into government-run quarantine bases. Others may be asked to stay in isolation at home.
Wearable tech and smartphone apps are being deployed to enforce the new rules. In Hong Kong, travelers will be issued one of 20,000 wristbands the government has procured to monitor the movement of those in quarantine. The no-frills band connects to an app which sends out alerts for the person to take pictures of themselves still wearing the wristband, and issues warnings if it senses the person has left their residence.
The device detects and analyzes radio signals, including bluetooth, WiFi, and geographical location signals (GPS). Police and health officials track down those not in compliance.
Those under quarantine in Singapore are monitored by video calls at least three times a day and officials conduct spot checks at their residences. Those who break quarantine rules may be required to wear an electronic tag to monitor their movements, or be detained in a hospital.
In Taiwan, the government has integrated the databases of the national health insurance, immigration and customs agencies to generate data that traces the travel history and clinical symptoms of residents. It’s also set up an online shopping platform so that citizens can order take-out and buy groceries. There are also apps that check the stock of face masks at nearby pharmacies.
Fines and Imprisonment
Steep fines and the threat of imprisonment add to the incentives for incoming travelers to abide by the rules. Taiwan has fined several residents for not adhering to self-quarantines or leaving a quarantine hotel to the tune of NT$1 million ($33,000).
Singapore charged a couple from China last month under the Infectious Diseases Act for providing false information and obstructing coronavirus contact tracing. Anyone convicted for a first offense under the act can be fined as much as S$10,000 ($7,000) and jailed for as long as six months.
Those who don’t abide by Hong Kong’s quarantine requirements also face the same jail time, and are liable to be fined a maximum of HK$25,000 ($3,220).
Vivian Ma, 23, a student at Chinese University of Hong Kong, was under quarantine at home in Hong Kong after she entered the territory mid-February. She was tracked through a social app on her phone and received four unannounced requests to conduct live video calls or share her location by phone with officials. Bloomberg News
Image credits: Nonie Reyes