
Italy Locks Down Much of the Country’s North over the Coronavirus - jds375
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/07/world/europe/coronavirus-italy.html
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sprafa
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22516450](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22516450)
I've posted here about the Chinese/South Korean system of a "foursquare" type
system for coronavirus seems to be helping contain the spread. How realistic
would it be for HN to build something like this? It appears like it would make
a big difference.

Here's the reddit thread where I sourced it from and relevant information
(poster has been verified as being in China)

[https://www.reddit.com/r/China_Flu/comments/febv3t/what_its_...](https://www.reddit.com/r/China_Flu/comments/febv3t/what_its_like_in_china_0306/)

Public areas would take your name and phone number before allowing you to
enter, in the event someone there later was determined positive, they could
contact you and find you quickly. This moved digitally in QR code based
systems, were you would scan various locations, buses, taxis, subways, etc.
and be able to be contacted and located quickly.

~~~
eesmith
> Public areas would take your name and phone number before allowing you to
> enter

Then that wouldn't really be a public area, would it?

Many people, especially older ones who may use feature phones, don't have
devices which handle QR codes.

Ditto for children, who may be allowed to go to public areas on their own, but
don't have a QR-enabled phone.

A few years ago I left my phone in the taxi on the way to the airport. I
didn't have a phone for a couple of weeks. Or, what if your phone or battery
died while you were out?

Some people don't like the tracking already done and available. This takes it
to the next level by making location tracking mandatory.

What benefit is there to participate? Wouldn't the majority of those people
prefer to enable location tracking on their phone instead of manual QR checks?

~~~
sprafa
All I’m saying is I hope it would help. All your views are valid but all I can
think of is this can save lives.

~~~
eesmith
It could make lives worse too.

Suppose there are multiple such systems, each with different sets of users.
Someone's infected while at a train station, and only 25% of the people are
contacted. Should those who are not contacted feel safe? Or extra worried,
compared to how they would have reacted for having no such system?

As I wrote: "What benefit is there to participate? Wouldn't the majority of
those people prefer to enable location tracking on their phone instead of
manual QR checks? "

If most would prefer automatic GPS tracking over manual QR checks, the what
you're proposing would result in multiple systems and incomplete coverage both
for users and for people who would set up the QR codes.

------
qubex
I’m from Milan and it’s totally surreal to read of these places I know so well
being shut down and paralysed.

