Over 100 Chinese cities adopt QR codes for coronavirus control, work resumption
A woman shows her green health QR code, which allows her to pass expressway or community checkpoints in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, on February 15, 2020.
Over 100 cities in China have adopted QR codes to facilitate the control of the novel coronavirus and work resumption, fintech firm Ant Financial said on Wednesday.
According to Ant Financial, all cities in the provinces of Zhejiang, Sichuan and Hainan have adopted health QR codes, with 15 million people registered for the QR codes in Zhejiang alone.
Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province, adopted the QR codes on February 11. The QR codes, produced with the mobile app Alipay, are based on the users' movements over the previous two weeks and tell whether users have been to virus-hit areas.
Instead of filling in health report forms, residents can now show the QR codes at community or expressway checkpoints. Thus, no-contact checks can be carried out to reduce virus transmission risks.
The QR codes show how the Internet is being used in China's fight against the epidemic, and provide strong support for prevention and control of the epidemic and work resumption, said Pan Helin, an expert in economics at Zhongnan University of Economics and Law.
