A passenger scans the site QR code embedded within Alipay at a metro station in Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province on Dec 8. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

Local public transportation authorities in Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province, announced on Dec 8 that passengers on buses and metros must now show their "site QR code" before getting aboard.

The "site QR code", which is embedded within Alipay, is an upgraded version of Hangzhou's health QR code that can track the major transportation hubs that people have visited. The code can help staff check the health status of passengers more efficiently.

The new regulation took effect at midnight on Dec 8 for passengers taking the metro, and will be extended to bus passengers on Dec 11. Senior citizens and students who are unable to show the site QR code can show their bus passes instead.

Checking a person's health QR code and a travel record for the past 14 days has become an important part of epidemic prevention and control measures in Hangzhou, as it can allow authorities to determine whether a person has been to medium or high-risk areas in the past 14 days, and whether he or she has been in close contact with confirmed COVID-19 cases or asymptomatic cases.

An expat shows her site QR code to a staff member at the metro station in Hangzhou on Dec 8. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]