Just recently, Premier Jason Kenney said that the Provincial Government will start to implement Track and Trace to help flatten the curve as cases of Corona Virus continue to rise in Alberta. This measure is in place to ensure that the mandatory quarantine to stay home for 14 days is being followed by Albertans returning from traveling abroad, those who test positive for COVID-19, or those who are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19.
The Public Health Agency of Canada has also asked for assistance from the RCMP to enforce the March 25 Quarantine Act Order. In short, this is not only happening in Alberta. Officers will be visiting homes and talking to people who are identified to be under quarantine, to ensure that they are maintaining the social distancing required. Violators who put the public at extreme risk will be fined $1 million and 3 years of jail time. This is no joke.
While I believe these measures are late, it is better late than never. Canadian COVID-19 cases continue to rise because of poor tracking and tracing of possible COVID-19 carriers. However, using the RCMP to do house to house visits is a big task that will put our officers at risk and diverts government resources.
Other successful countries who were able to flatten the curve through tracking and tracing is Taiwan. They made use of an app to track and trace individuals who entered the country and to make sure they follow quarantine regulations. The app is able to track the movement of the individual if they do not follow the regulations. I highly suggest that the government look into this method.
Canadians have raised privacy concerns in using technology to track and trace, but with the current Global Pandemic, what is really more important? The health of the general Canadian population or the privacy of the individual or few individuals who could potentially be carrying the virus that could kill a lot of Canadians?
While I understand the importance of privacy, this is a temporary measure to help stop the spread of this very contagious virus. And to be honest, if the government or police wants to track you down, they will track you down either way.
Technology is just the more logical way to go about tracking and tracing rather than having our police force devote manpower to it, instead of fighting crime. With the bad economy comes the spikes in crime and we need our RCMP and the police to maintain peace and order. And did you know, that the tracking and tracing technology can also be used in hospitals to ensure there are enough beds and equipment to make our health care system more efficient? In these unprecedented times, everything is stressful and can be easily overlooked. This is where technology can help. Yes, this is possible.
If you are curious about technology tracking and tracing to make things work more efficiently in this global crisis, you can always email me at ngocuan@yahoo.com and I will surely try to answer your questions.