In mainland China, a health code that dictates where citizens can travel has been mandatory since the pandemic hit. Meanwhile, Hong Kong¡¯s contact tracing app doesn¡¯t even know the user¡¯s name.

That gap in surveillance has become a major sticking point in protracted talks about restarting quarantine-free cross-border travel, which could happen in a limited capacity as soon as December, the South China Morning Post reported late Thursday.

Earlier this month, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam told a local news outlet that she had no plans to add a tracking function to the city¡¯s LeaveHomeSafe app. But she also warned that residents would need to download their records if they wanted easier access to the mainland.