China removes indication of travel through COVID-hit cities on mobile app

BEIJING - A state-mandated Chinese mobile app that shows whether or not an individual has travelled in a city with COVID-affected areas will no longer specify such travel history, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said on Wednesday.

The asterisk mark indicating an individual has travelled in a city with COVID-19 cases will no longer appear on the app as part of efforts to make domestic travel more convenient, the ministry said.

The asterisk mark has helped local authorities identify visitors who have gone to areas with sporadic COVID cases and help local officials impose varying degrees of curbs, such as quarantine and COVID testing.