Xi’an Data Chief Suspended Over Covid-19 Tracing App Crashes

A top data management official in Xi’an has been suspended from his post after the city’s health code system malfunctioned twice, preventing people from checking in to venues as the virus spread around the city.

It came as a local Covid-19 outbreak, first detected in December, neared 1,800 cases.

The system is critical for verifying health statuses of residents and granting access to public places such as office buildings and supermarkets. It also contains Covid-19 testing results needed for making trips between provinces.