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Chinese authorities stop surveillance of citizens

Asia (bbabo.net), - From December 13, the Chinese authorities will stop using a program that tracks the movement of citizens using smartphones. This was announced today, December 12, TASS reports with reference to Xinhua News Agency.

According to the agency, such a program was used to control the spread of Covid-19. However, since Tuesday, the Chinese government has canceled its use.

The program is an information route map against the background of the optimization of preventive measures to combat coronavirus, introduced in 2020 as part of the measures to prevent and control Covid-19. It allowed tracking people's travels around the city to identify potential risks of the spread of the virus.

Recently, restrictive measures related to the prevention of coronavirus have been gradually relaxed. On December 7, the authorities announced a ban on large-scale lockdowns. High-risk zones for the spread of coronavirus are now introduced not by territorial-administrative units, but by buildings, apartments, floors and households. Asymptomatic infected people with mild illness can now choose between self-isolation at home and voluntary centralized quarantine. Also, the Chinese authorities have canceled mandatory regular PCR testing for those whose work is not associated with an increased risk of infection or does not involve contact with children or the elderly.

An increase in the number of cases of coronavirus infection in China was recorded in early November, the vast majority of them were asymptomatic carriers of the virus. The government of the country first strengthened restrictive measures to prevent coronavirus. Then, after mass protests in several large cities, the authorities announced the need to optimize prevention measures. The media began to publish information about the relative harmlessness of the Omicron strain.

Chinese authorities stop surveillance of citizens