Many still doubt about it

The new pandemic arrived but many people still believe it won’t happen or think it’s much more serious than the flu we all know, that kills so many people but nobody talks about it.
See the latest, many other media talk about the outbreak and quarantines in Italy:

Reuters 22 February 2010:
Fears of a global coronavirus pandemic as cases of reported infections surge:
A rapid surge of new coronavirus cases outside of China, including in Iran, South Korea and Italy, has prompted concerns among infectious disease experts and scientists that the contagion could transform into a global pandemic. The virus had spread to at least 28 countries with more than 76,000 confirmed cases worldwide.

See also:
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3051927/chinas-coronavirus-controls-are-starting-pay-dividends-elsewhere
China’s coronavirus controls are starting to pay dividends, but elsewhere in the world infections are rising fast
Number of confirmed cases reported in Wuhan on Saturday falls 55% from previous day, National Health Commission says
But surges in South Korea, Japan and Iran suggest the epidemic is becoming a pandemic, according to experts.

Yes, the USA also starts worrying
Some finally understand in the USA the virus is difficult to stop. See this:
“CDC is preparing for the ‘likely’ spread of coronavirus in the US, officials say”
USA Today 21 February
Health experts sounded the alarm Friday over the worldwide threat of the coronavirus, with officials warning of its “likely” community spread in the United States and the World Health Organization cautioning that “the window of opportunity is narrowing” for containing the outbreak worldwide.
Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told reporters Friday that U.S. health officials are preparing for the coronavirus to become a pandemic.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2020/02/21/coronavirus-who-contain-outbreak-iran-deaths-south-korea-cases/4829278002/

The confusing threat of “big data” in China

There are a couple of systems being launched in China to label people as “dangerous” or “OK”. The systems seem to have many issues and the big question is how foreigners can deal with it as everything is in Chinese and some simply do not work.

See:
How big data is dividing the public in China’s coronavirus fight – green, yellow, red.
Cutting-edge technologies and old-fashioned surveillance are being used to decide who can and who can’t go back to work. There are some examples in Hangzhou area and in Yunnan.
But the smart technology is not always that intelligent.
Link that gives a good overview:
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3051907/green-yellow-red-how-big-data-dividing-public-chinas-coronavirus

My experience

In Beijing it is not yet used but I was getting messages from 10086, see further. Despite all efforts and phone calls, it never worked. I guess someone of our office should go to China Mobile to clarify. But of course that is now as good as impossible.

Health QR codes in full effect in Hangzhou
CHINA DAILY on 18 February
People in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, have been required to prove that they have green health codes when going to public places or commuting via public transport vehicles, according to the city’s leading group for the prevention and control of the novel coronavirus pneumonia on Monday afternoon.
Hangzhou launched a health QR code system on Feb 11 to curb the virus spread amid the resumption of production. People who want to get into the city need to report their travel history and health conditions online in advance. In turn, they will be assigned codes marked by green, yellow or red based on the information they offer.
As of Sunday, the system had issued health codes to more than 6.5 million people.
Initially, the system was used to evaluate health conditions of those coming to the city. Now, it is expected to be applied nationwide this week, a further step in the prevention and control of the epidemic based on the health code system.
Verification QR codes have been posted at the entrances to residential communities, companies and other public places in Hangzhou such as restaurants.
People will get their own codes that they had previously applied for online after scanning the verification codes through Alipay.
Those who want to enter public spaces should have green codes and show them to watchmen, which means they are healthy enough to move around the city.
People taking public transport vehicles, such as taxis, buses and subways, are also required to show their green health codes. Those who don’t have smartphones, especially the elderly and children, can pass with valid paper documents.

10086: failing to register as a foreigner

See here the unsuccessful efforts I did, helped by a Chinese friend who contacted the services several times. We have no idea what are the “last four digits of the real-name certificate”. The mobiles are registered by our company. None of the numbers we tried worked.
As for the Hangzhou article and others: again, you need Alipay and all in Chinese.
Good luck.

工信部提醒：短信可以为您提供“行程证明”，用户可发送“cxmyd”到10086，授权查询您近15日和30日内到访的省市信息（驻留超4小时）。此为公益服务。
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology reminds you: SMS can provide you with a “Proof of Trip”, and users can send “cxmyd” to 10086 to authorize to query information about the provinces and cities you visited within the past 15 and 30 days (over 4 hours stay).  This is a public service.

【二次确认】尊敬的客户，您好！中国移动北京公司提示您：您即将使用“疫情防控行程查询”公益服务，该服务信息仅供参考，不作为最终判定依据，并默认是本手机号持有者本人授权查询，确认查询请在10分钟内回复本手机号对应实名证件后四位。【中国移动】
[Second confirmation] Dear customer, hello!  China Mobile Beijing Company reminds you that you are about to use the “Outbreak Prevention and Control Itinerary Enquiry” public service. The service information is for reference only and is not used as the final judgment basis.  Respond to the last four digits of the real-name certificate of this mobile phone number within 10 minutes.  【China Mobile】

尊敬的客户，您好！您提供的实名证件后四位与本号码实名认证信息不一致，无法提供服务。【中国移动】
Dear Customer: Hello!  The last four digits of the real-name certificate you provided are inconsistent with the real-name authentication information of this number and cannot provide services.  【China Mobile】