A construction worker undergoes a nucleic acid test in Hangzhou. [Photo/WeChat account: qjshijicheng]

WeChat, a social networking app popular in China, recently launched new online services to help people book for nucleic acid testing in more than 100 cities, including Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province.

Making an appointment via WeChat involves searching the term "疫情" (pandemic), which will bring up a summary of information on the current status and policies related to travel restrictions in China, up-to-date risk levels for travel destinations, related policies on quarantines, as well as a button labeled "核酸检测预约", which allows people to book a nucleic acid test appointment.

After clicking the button, a list of medical institutions offering online nucleic acid test appointment services in the region will show up. More than 300 institutions in over 100 cities have been connected to the database.

The National Health Commission recently announced that people returning to rural areas from other parts of the country during the Spring Festival travel rush from Jan 28 to March 8 must take nucleic acid tests and provide negative results. The test should be taken within seven days of departure.

Hangzhou requires all returnees from high-risk areas to take nucleic acid tests on the first and seventh day after arriving and consistently monitor their temperatures.

For more information, please visit the website of the National Health Commission.