Chinese President Xi Jinping is appealing to world leaders to
create a globally-accepted COVID-19 health-tracking system to enable the
resumption of trade and travel.
Since early this year China has been using a health screening
system that uses QR codes and runs on Alipay and WeChat. The system stores a
user’s health and travel history and issues a colored QR code – green, yellow
or red – that indicates their freedom to move around and provides access to
public places.
Speaking at the virtual G20 Leaders’ Summit on Saturday, Xi says,
“China has proposed a global mechanism on the mutual recognition of health
certificates based on nucleic acid test results in the form of internationally
accepted QR codes. We hope more countries will join this mechanism.”
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Xi also says the COVID pandemic has “exposed the deficiencies of
global governance” and as the world moves forward, leaders should develop
better capabilities to address future challenges.
“We need to enhance the role of
the WHO, improve pandemic preparedness and response, forge a strong shield for
human health and safety, and build a global community of health for all. We
need to scale up international cooperation on ecology and environment to
protect the planet Earth, our only homeland,” he says.
Along with China, several other
countries are using apps for contact tracing, including Singapore, which offers
its TraceTogether system also as a wearable token for those who do not own
smartphones.
And this week Australia now
requires customers to scan a QR code to check-in before entering a business.