China to de-activate national Covid tracking app

China has announced it will de-activate a phone app that has tracked people's movements during the pandemic.

The national app, which uses phone signals to track whether someone has travelled to an area seen as high-risk, will go offline at the end of Monday.

It is the latest policy change that signals Beijing is abandoning its controversial zero-Covid strategy.

The move is symbolic but not hugely significant because of the local apps still in use in cities across China.

The state-run Communications Itinerary Card app has been operational for three years and was seen as a central part of China's zero-Covid policy.

People were required to enter phone numbers in the app in order to produce a green arrow indicating they were able to travel between provinces and enter events.

Now travel between provinces being has been eased with the removal of Covid-prevention restrictions, the national app has been deemed to be obsolete by citizens.

Many social media users in China have welcomed the app's retirement.

But it is only one of several tracking apps that have governed everyday life in China, with many still using scanning systems run by their city or province to access local amenities and public buildings.

Unrest was initially triggered by a fire in a high-rise block in the western Xinjiang region that killed 10 people in November, with long-running restrictions blamed for hampering the rescue effort.

Following policy changes, people with Covid can now isolate at home rather than in state facilities if they have mild or no symptoms, and there has been a broad relaxation of mass testing.

Many citizens expressed their relief at the easing of restrictions but there have also been concerns about the sudden changes.

China is now experiencing a surge in Covid cases, with authorities in Beijing saying more than 22,000 patients had visited hospitals across the city on Sunday - 16 times the number a week earlier.

China reported 8,626 domestic Covid cases on Sunday, but with testing no longer widespread the numbers are believed to be much higher.

Despite its loosening of measures, China is still regarded as having some of the most hard-line Covid restrictions in the world.