China To Disable National Covid Tracking App

A phone app that tracked people's activities throughout the pandemic will be disabled, according to an announcement from China. At the end of Monday, the national app, which has been in use for three years, will be discontinued.

The most recent policy shift indicates Beijing is giving up its contentious zero-Covid goal. Due to the continued use of local apps in cities all throughout China, despite the move's strong symbolic value, it will not have a significant influence on people's day-to-day lives.

A key component of China's zero-Covid strategy was the government-run Communications Itinerary Card app, which tracks travel to high-risk areas via phone signals.

The software needed users to submit their phone numbers in order to display a green arrow that indicated they may move between regions and enter events.

Since the Covid-prevention limitations have been lifted, it is easier to move across provinces, thus authorities have abandoned the national app. China's social media users generally applaud the app's demise.

But it is only one of several tracking applications that have controlled daily life in China, where many people continue to use scanning systems managed by their city or province to access neighborhood facilities and public buildings.

Ten people were murdered in a high-rise building fire in western Xinjiang in November, which sparked recent unrest. The rescue effort was hampered by long-standing restrictions, which were blamed for the fire.

China is currently seeing an increase in Covid instances; according to Beijing officials, over 22,000 individuals attended hospitals across the city on Sunday, which is a 16-fold increase from the previous week.

China reported 8,626 domestic cases on Sunday, but the actual number is likely far higher because testing is no longer widely practised. China continues to be recognized as having some of the strictest COVID limitations in the world, despite its loosened regulations.