SElangkah wants users to report number of people not wearing masks in business premises

Selangor's contact tracing service SElangkah now asks users to identify if other people aren't wearing masks while out and about. — EDWARD RAJENDRA/The Star

Contact tracing service SElangkah is now requesting users to make a report if other people are not wearing face mask in business premises.

The service, which pops up when users scan a QR code as they enter a shop or government building, now asks the question “How many people do you see not wearing a mask here?” and gives users three options to select from: zero, up to four, or more than five people not wearing masks at their location.

When tested by LifestyleTech, the service – which is also available as a standalone app – did not behave differently or provide any feedback no matter what option is selected.

Those who skip the question will still be registered as entering the premise after scanning the QR code.

This change followed Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's announcement on Monday that the government was mulling making the wearing of face masks in public places mandatory.

He added that details on this will be announced when the relevant rules were finalised by the government.

Last week, Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari announced that the state government had registered more than 41 million visits to government and business premises through SELangkah.

He said this translated to tracing the movement of 95% of the residents in Selangor.

First rolled out on May 4, SElangkah was meant as a measure to monitor the spread of Covid-19 infection during the movement control order (MCO) period.

The state government assured that the data would be supervised by it and would be accessible by health officers if new Covid-19 cases were recorded at a premise using the service.