China announced on Monday that the smartphone app used to track travel to areas with COVID infections would cease to function.

The move could potentially reduce the likelihood of people being forced into quarantine for visiting places considered coronavirus hotspots.

Why this is significant

It is part of Beijing's efforts to pivot away from its contentious zero-COVID strategy, which has caused widespread public discontent and even triggered protests in some cities, with some demonstrators going as far as calling for President Xi Jinping to step down.

Last week, Chinese authorities announced an end to large-scale lockdowns and eased strict testing requirements to access public spaces and for domestic travel.

They also put an end to mandatory quarantine in central facilities, allowing those with mild symptoms to instead recuperate at home.

What is China's COVID tracking app?

The app that's now going to be retired is just one of a number of tracking apps that have governed life in China throughout the pandemic.

It was first rolled out in 2020.

The app has a four-tier system that assigned different colors depending on the user's predicted level of COVID exposure.

Despite the central government ending its usage now, most people in the country continue to use other similar local apps administered by city and provincial authorities.

President Xi and other Chinese leaders had long praised zero-COVID for keeping infections and deaths much lower in China than in other nations.

What is the situation with COVID in China at the moment?

The turn away from this strategy now comes amid a spike in cases in the country.

China on Monday announced around 8,500 new cases, bringing the nation's total to 365,312 — more than double the level since October 1.

Some health experts warn that there are considerable health risks for China fully opening up, with the efficacy of Chinese vaccines in question, and a low vaccination rate among the elderly population.

Compounding the challenges are underfunded hospitals lacking the capacity to treat huge numbers of patients.

The country has less than one intensive care unit bed for every 10,000 people, Jiao Yahui, director of the Department of Medical Affairs at the National Health Commission, warned last week.

And health resources are also distributed unevenly, with most hospital beds concentrated in Beijing, Shanghai and other cities on the prosperous east coast.

Facing a surge in COVID-19 cases, China is setting up more intensive care facilities and trying to strengthen hospitals' ability to deal with severe cases.