(Yicai Global) March 17 -- Shenzhen, in lockdown because of an increase in Covid-19 case rates, has mandated that all residents show their identity cards when being tested for the coronavirus after it was discovered that some had evaded tests as others took their place.

The southern Chinese city has been requiring locals to produce ID cards for all polymerase chain reaction tests since March 14, the local government’s epidemic hotline said today.

In one case, the Moon Bay Community in Nanshan district recently notified the Shenzhen Container Transportation Association that on March 12 two people were found to have taken Covid-19 tests for two truck drivers, effectively faking the results.

Residents previously only needed to input their name, phone number, and ID number into a WeChat mini program to register for a test. The program would then generate a QR code, making it easy for imposters to step in.

Shenzhen’s ports reported a total of 484 positive Covid-19 cases among cross-border truck drivers from Feb. 4 to March 14, according to recently released figures.

Editor: Peter Thomas