Precise Prevention and Control Experience for Train Passengers with Itinerary Codes Marked with * in Railway Passenger Stations

Original article: https://cli.im/article/detail/1824

From late 2021 to early 2022, Ningbo successively faced two COVID-19 outbreaks in "Zhenhai" and "Beilun". Our municipal Highway and Transportation Management Center was responsible for epidemic prevention at transportation hubs. Online channels like civil forums frequently received questions such as "Can I travel if my itinerary code shows a * mark?" This indicates that citizens still have essential travel needs but worry about potential blanket restrictions at destinations.

After consulting the epidemic prevention office, disease control experts clarified that a * mark doesn't necessarily lead to quarantine - specific circumstances determine the outcome. For example: If administrative division A belongs to city B, and big data shows A as a medium/high-risk area while other areas in B remain low-risk, the itinerary code will show a * mark next to city B with the note: "City B contains medium/high-risk areas, but does not indicate actual visits to these areas." Only travelers who actually visited medium/high-risk areas should be quarantined. However, epidemic control zones in city B might change dynamically.

To address this, our operational departments proposed setting up QR codes at major railway stations to collect information from passengers with *-marked itinerary codes who haven't actually visited medium/high-risk areas. Our technology division quickly created registration QR codes using CaoLiao QR Code platform, which were printed and posted at station checkpoints for contactless information entry. Each morning, we export previous day's data from the backend to operational departments for statistical reporting.

If control zones in these cities change, we can rapidly identify close contacts, assess impact scope, improve contact tracing efficiency, and maintain normal travel experiences - effectively breaking transmission chains.

During the pandemic, many tasks require balancing prevention effectiveness with practical public needs. Our frontline colleagues demonstrated remarkable attention to detail and human-centered approaches under tremendous pressure. Through collective efforts, Ningbo successfully contained the outbreaks. Currently, both Zhenhai and Beilun districts have lifted all containment measures.