I recently visited Mount Alvernia Hospital and checked in using the TraceTogether app. To my surprise, I was asked for my identity card and had to answer four questions posed by a staff member.

Having visited many other healthcare institutions which do not do this, I find this procedure highly unusual.

The practice also creates additional infection risk.

First, the staff member handling my identity card was not wearing gloves, and I did not see her sanitise her hands before or after handling my identity card.

Second, because the questions were asked verbally and it was hard to hear her with her mask on, I had to stand within earshot of her. This means I could not keep a safe distance of 1m away.

Why does Mount Alvernia Hospital require these additional steps and why has it not implemented a contactless solution for safe entry, like many other places?

Angela Xu