Why China’s health ‘black code’ for border control is a relic and must end as soon as possible
- The health declaration code was imposed by China’s customs administration in the early and difficult days of the pandemic
- The black code’s lingering existence is a reminder of the days when China implemented draconian health controls and this needs to end
China has abolished most of its draconian measures designed to control Covid-19, but one small requirement remains: the health declaration form for travellers entering and leaving the country, including the border between Hong Kong and the mainland.
For people boarding a China-bound flight or entering the country via Shenzhen and other ports, it is still mandatory for visitors – including children – to report travel and health information to generate a code that can be scanned before entrance. This also applies to leavers, who have to fill in the same online form to generate a QR code, nicknamed the “black code” by many because of its colour.
This health declaration system was imposed by China’s customs administration in the early days of the pandemic, when authorities had a zero tolerance approach to curbing the spread of the infection.
According to a notice published by the customs administration on January 25, 2020, the black code system was designed to “further improve Covid-19 control at ports and prevent the spread of the pandemic through ports”.
However, with the abolition of all other pandemic measures, such as nucleic testing and travel tracking, this cross-border black code no longer makes sense.
While filling in a form may not be a big deal, it is a time-consuming exercise for frequent travellers between Hong Kong and the mainland, and can leave a bad impression. Starry Lee Wai-king, Hong Kong’s sole delegate to the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, said last week that she will raise the issue when she is in Beijing.
The health declaration code was imposed when authorities were in emergency mode and having to deal with pressing circumstances – there was little opportunity for people to have a say in the policy.
According to my personal experience at different Chinese ports, ground staff also realise that the form has lost its relevance, but they have no option but to obey the rules. “Don’t ask why, just do it,” is the default response when the form is queried, even though it appears to go against common sense.
The health declaration code was a small component part in a massive zero-Covid machine – but even though the machine has been turned off, this part is still spinning.
As such, the black code has degenerated into a typical example of formality, an established procedure that has lost its original meaning or purpose but continues to operate regardless. This will not help China project the image that it is back to normal and open for business.
More importantly, the black code’s lingering existence is a reminder of the days when China implemented draconian pandemic controls, including extensive mandatory quarantine for new arrivals and repeated nucleic testing and extreme measures, such as breaking into infected people’s homes to disinfect them.
As China and most major economies get fully back to work in the wake of the pandemic, the country’s insistence on the declaration form looks incongruous.
To be sure, every country maintains certain border controls for security and healthcare purposes, and any lifting of the health declaration code should not mean that authorities let down their guard against new risks, such as monkeypox. But screening and controls can be targeted at particular infections as opposed to universal constraints imposed on everyone.
The direct loss of continuing this unreasonable practice is a waste of social resources. The indirect loss could be even higher, as it may indicate to travellers that China is incapable of being pragmatic, with a faceless bureaucracy blindly imposing rules instead of having rules guided by experts.
China needs to shake off such an image, and the black code should be abolished as soon as possible.
