Expats, as well as Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan compatriots in Shenzhen, can show their negative nucleic acid test results issued within 48 hours or proof of having taken a nucleic acid test within 24 hours and Guangdong Health Codes (GHCs) when taking public transport, instead of scanning venue codes, the local transport bureau announced at its official WeChat account Thursday.
The bureau explained this group of people cannot use the venue codes because the GHC system doesn’t support them due to a technical problem.
On Feb. 23, amid the new wave of COVID-19 cases, Shenzhen introduced the use of venue codes, also known as integrated codes.
Under these newly implemented measures, people are required to scan the venue codes when they enter public areas like markets, pharmacies, restaurants, and cultural and entertainment venues, or workplaces. The integrated codes can verify people’s information such as health codes and travel history, as well as register their locations, which enables precise epidemic control in challenging environments.
Yet Shenzhen Daily, after publishing a story about this Feb. 24, received many complaints from expat readers, saying that the venue codes didn’t work for them. As a result, some said they were rejected from entering public venues by GHC inspectors. The system does not work for expats because their ID information is diversified and hard to recognize under the unified Chinese ID recognition system, according to Yang Yan, director of Shekou Management and Service Center for Expats.
Addressing expats’ concerns, the paper promptly forwarded the feedback to local government agencies and contacted Digital Guangdong, the technological supporter of the GHC.
According to the company, as an alternative, health code inspectors can scan expats’ GHCs by entering the GHC app and choosing the corresponding inspection venues. This way, inspectors can know about the expats’ health information and confirm the places they have visited. For public places without GHC inspectors, the venue operators can register expats’ information through other methods. The alternative was echoed by the city’s foreign affairs office and Nanshan authorities, who required GHC inspectors to act on it.
Yet many expats said GHC inspectors at public places, mostly security guards, didn’t listen to their explanations. Shenzhen Daily later published a bilingual article, quoting authorities who explain that those who were denied entry can show their green GHCs and negative nucleic acid test results. If they get rejected again, they can demand inspectors to scan their GHCs to check their health information. The newspaper also contacted Shenzhen Metro Group and Shenzhen Transport Company over the issue.