BEIJING -- China has issued a guideline requiring local authorities to better apply information technology in the prevention and control of the COVID-19 epidemic in communities in a bid to ease the workload faced by community workers.

Based on existing government affairs or public service platforms, the development of IT products or services designed for virus control in communities should be linked up to other epidemic information platforms by health, public security and civil affairs departments, as well as citizen identity information authentication platforms and community governance information system, the document said.

Law-based technical measures are needed to ensure the safe and stable operation of the IT products or services used for community-level virus control, according to the guideline released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the National Health Commission.

The IT products and services shall obtain the informed consent of community residents before collecting their personal information for the use of the epidemic control, the document said, adding that residents' consent must be re-obtained for other use.