Lengthy wait times as more than two million Hongkongers jump online to sign up for HK$5,000 vouchers

Numerous residents signing up for government’s ‘IAM Smart’ app for the first time helped bog down the system, officials say while urging patience. Some users complained of a long verification process while attempting to prove they were ‘not a robot’ via Google photo-selection system. — SCMP

Nearly 2.4 million Hongkongers, or about one-third of qualified residents, had signed up for the government’s HK$5,000 (RM2,675) consumption voucher scheme by 8am on Monday, with the rush leading to wait times of more than an hour.

One reason for the extended wait periods, officials said, was a sudden uptick in new users registering for accounts on the government’s “iAM Smart” app, the online platform used to apply for the scheme.