As China has gradually contained the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), things are almost back to normal. In Guangzhou, Guangdong Province in south China, the use of a mini-program, known as Suikang Code, has made it easier to move around through public transport, go shopping, or enter public places including hospitals. Just with a simple scan of the Suikang QR code, I had already opened another door for myself making my movement around Guangzhou extremely convenient.

As a foreigner living in Guangzhou, I was caught off guard when I returned from my travels late February. I was trying to enter my residential neighborhood, but I was stopped by the guards at the gate and was referred to a different office where I had to get registered.

Then I was notified that I had to have Suikang Code to be granted access to my building. Since I had just returned and had no idea what Suikang Code was or how it worked, I had several questions for the property management department. Thankfully, not only did I get answers to my questions, they also helped me to obtain the Suikang Code.

I thought this process would take long, hence the number of questions, but to my surprise I was done in a matter of minutes making my moving around in Guangzhou safer and more convenient. Later I also learnt that on the Suikang mini-program people can check their nucleic acid test results.

When I first came back, I was afraid of even using the metro. But once I understood how this amazing mini-program works, I use the metro pretty often as it brings some sense of safety knowing that everyone on the metro has to show a health code to access it. Because of these initiatives, the spread of COVID-19 has been minimized, making Guangzhou one of the safest cities in China, if not in the world.

When I first got my Suikang Code, I got a little worried noticing that the color on my code was different from my friend’s code. I again went around asking why my code was different and ended up actually learning more about how this mini-program works.

The different colors shown by the Suikang Code are: red which shows possible infection, green being in most cases for elderly people who have been helped by those they stay with to obtain the mini-program, and blue for those that obtain this Suikang Code by themselves. Those visiting Guangzhou from other cities or provinces will have to use what’s known as the Yuekang Code.

If anyone is taken in sick with COVID-19, or from places of higher risk, they can take a nucleic acid test to make sure they are COVID-19 free. After getting tested, the results are automatically posted on their Suikang Code, making this system not only efficient but exceptionally reliable.

Although Suikang Code is both reliable and efficient, sometimes I must wait in queues as the code loads. In some cases, if I activate the mini-program too often it might take a minute to refresh, meaning that I have to wait patiently. If you’re in a hurry, that might be an obstacle. But of course, what is better, being a few minutes late and ensuring safety or being in a rush and possibly infecting or being infected by others?