The Macau government has announced that the Macau Health Code system will be deactivated from Monday, and all personal information and records in the health code will be completely erased.
According to the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Center, the deactivation comes after a requirement to present the Macau Health Code when entering Macau from Hong Kong and travelling onwards to mainland China was removed on 14 March.
“All personal information of the health code, reporting records, application registration information, records of residents’ uploaded trip, venue code records and other data will be completely erased,” the Center said.
Macau’s Health Code system can be traced back to the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, with citizens and visitors required to scan a QR code provided by the venue to generate the Health Code when entering, leaving or entering public places.
A Macau Health Code mobile app was later launched on 18 November 2021 and had become a mandatory system used frequently by all.
During Macau’s COVID-19 outbreak late last year, the health code became a tool to monitor the travel of citizens and tourists. If the health code was yellow or red, most places were inaccessible, including government departments, public transportation, resorts and entertainment venues.