A number of homebuyers of a residential project under construction in Zhengzhou, Central China's Henan Province, told media on Wednesday that their health codes had turned red for no apparent reason after they reported problems with their properties to the authorities.

The situation came after several media reported on June 14 that some clients of a local bank in Zhengzhou had trouble withdrawing money because their health codes turned red, stirring up public concerns and allegations of misuse of health codes by official institutions in Henan Province.

Observers warned that health codes, which are used as a tool for COVID-19 prevention and control must be strictly regulated to avoid undermining the public's trust in the overall policy.

People who test positive for COVID-19, their close contacts, and those who are in high risk of infection amid the epidemic prevention efforts receive a red health code. Those with a red code are usually taken to a collective quarantine center.

These two consecutive incidents of suspected abuse of the health code sparked a public outcry, The Paper reported on Wednesday, after construction of the Central Grand View residential project, developed by Sunac China Holdings Limited, was suspended. For that reason, a number of homeowners went to the Henan Provincial Banking and Insurance Commission in April to submit relevant documents to report the problem. In June, their health codes turned red and they could not travel normally.

A number of homebuyers had their codes turned to green after appealing the change to red code but their doubts were not appeased.

Regarding the situation, an official of the Henan Provincial Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said that the project has been included in the list of problematic properties and specific matters are being handled by the competent authorities in Zhengzhou, where the project is located. However, the official denied being familiar with the rumor that owners of the property were given red health codes.

On the same day, a staff of the Zhengzhou health hotline said it was not clear why the residents were given red codes, adding that users can appeal the change in the codes.

According to The Paper, Zhao Ting (pseudonym) bought an apartment in the residential project last year when it was under construction. But work was suspended in November and never resumed.

Concerned that the property could be abandoned, Zhao and other homebuyers went to the Henan Provincial Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission in April to submit relevant documents to demonstrate that their payments had not been transferred into the escrow account. However, they did not receive a reply.

On June 13, Zhao noticed that her health code had turned red. When she reported it to the community staff, she was told they could not manage the appeal because the health code system showed she had a green code.

On June 15, after Zhao learned that the health codes of some homebuyers who had previously reported the same issues had also turned red, she began to suspect that the change was related to her complaint.

On the same day after Zhao reported to the provincial health commission her health code returned to its normal green state.

Other homebuyers have also reported a similar situation to the media.

In addition, many also reported that they had been asked if they were clients of the local bank, the China Business Network reported on Wednesday.

Some clients of small rural banks in Central China's Henan Province found that their health codes turned red for unknown reasons when they tried to withdraw their money, prompting suspicion of abuse of the health code system in the province.

These two consecutive incidents of suspected abuse of the health code have immediately raised public concerns about the safety of the system and allegations of misuse. Lao Dongyan, a professor of law at Tsinghua University, said in a media interview with Caixin that if a red code was assigned to targeted people by some officials, the practice may be suspected of violating the Infectious Disease Control Law, the Personal Information Protection Law and the criminal law.

The role of the health code in epidemic prevention and control is so pivotal that its scientific nature and seriousness must be maintained. Some grassroots disputes or "technical errors" must not be allowed to affect public confidence and the overall situation in the fight against the virus, observers noted.

Global Times