China scraps virus-tracking app in anticipation of Covid

• China is preparing for an unprecedented flood of Covid-19 cases.
• A top specialist has warned that Omicron variations are “spreading swiftly”.
• Businesses closed over the weekend in Beijing out of fear of an epidemic.

China is preparing for an unprecedented flood of Covid-19 cases., As it dismantles significant portions of its restrictive zero-Covid policy.

A top specialist has warned that Omicron variations are “spreading swiftly” and that signals of an outbreak are unsettling the nation’s capital.

Changes continued Monday as authorities announced a deactivation of the “mobile itinerary card” health tracking function planned for the following day.

The system, which is distinct from the health code scanning system still required in a smaller number of locations throughout China, tracked people’s travel patterns over the previous 14 days using information from their cell phones in an effort to identify those who had visited cities with areas deemed “high-risk” by authorities.

As a result of worries about data collecting and its use by local governments to deny admission to persons who have visited cities with “high-risk zones,” even if they did not visit those regions within those cities, it had been a source of conflict for many Chinese people.

However, there are concerns about how the nation’s health system will handle a widespread outbreak as components of the zero-Covid infrastructure are being rapidly dismantled.

Beijing locals either became sick or were afraid of getting the virus over the weekend, so several businesses were shuttered and the streets were mainly desolate. The largest throngs of onlookers were observed in front of pharmacies and Covid-19 testing stations.

A news source, reported on hours-long waits at a clinic in downtown Beijing on Friday and quoted unidentified specialists urging locals to avoid going to clinics unless absolutely necessary.

Health professionals in the capital were also dealing with an increase in emergency calls, many of which came from Covid-positive people who had minimal or no symptoms. In order to preserve the city’s 911-like emergency services hotline free for the gravely ill, a hospital official pleaded with citizens on Saturday to refrain from dialing it in such situations.

According to official media, Chen Zhi, chief physician of the Beijing Emergency Center, reported that the daily volume of emergency calls has increased from its typical 5,000 to more over 30,000 in recent days.

According to a leading expert on Covid-19, Zhong Nanshan, the disease was “growing swiftly” in China due to the presence of highly transmissible Omicron strains, state media said on Saturday.

“No matter how strong the prevention and control is, it will be difficult to completely cut off the transmission chain,” Zhong, who has been a key public voice since the earliest days of the pandemic in 2020, was quoted saying by Xinhua.

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