China announced on Wednesday that frequent coronavirus tests and digital health codes, two pillars of its “zero covid” policy, would no longer be required for daily life or to travel within the country — a significant relaxation of previously unyielding restrictions that were protested in more than a dozen cities across the country in recent weeks.
The State Council, China’s cabinet, released a 10-point plan that also said those with less severe infections could quarantine at home rather than in centralized facilities, unless they “volunteer” to go into care. Apartment stairwells or floors would no long be considered high-risk zones after five consecutive days without any new cases, and residents must be released from these zones in a timely fashion.
Digital health passes, region-specific apps that track movement and testing history, will no longer be required for access to most buildings or public transport. Developed by major Chinese technology firms on behalf of the government, the QR codes generated by the software have been a central part of China’s extensive contact tracing.
They became so essential to getting around that people speak with terror of being “pop-upped” when a sudden notification switches your code from green to red, identifying you as an at-risk person.
Along with requirements to regularly visit PCR testing booths — at-home antigen rapid tests are not officially recognized or widely used — these apps were among the most prominent features of zero covid life in China. Some human rights activists have raised fears that they will forever remain in operation as part of China’s expanding surveillance state.
The relaxation measures were an extension of a 20-step “optimization” plan released in early November aimed at reducing the economic and social costs of arbitrary and excessive restrictions, while at the same time continuing to stress that local officials should prioritize fighting the virus.
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