China will drop a travel tracing requirement as part of an uncertain exit from its strict “zero-COVID” policies that have elicited widespread dissatisfaction.

At midnight on Monday, the smartphone app will cease to function, meaning residents’ travels will not be traced and recorded, potentially reducing the likelihood of being forced into quarantine for visiting pandemic hot spots. China’s ruling Communist Party allows no independent parties to conduct verification; such apps have been used in the past to suppress travel and free speech. It’s part of a package of apps that includes the health code, which has yet to be disabled.

The move follows the government’s snap announcement last week that it was ending many of the most draconian measures. That follows three years of lockdowns, travel restrictions and quarantines on those moving between provinces and cities, mandated testing, and requirements that a clean bill of health is shown to access public areas.

Last month in Beijing and several other cities, protests over the restrictions grew into calls for leader Xi Jinping and the ruling Communist Party to step down, in a level of public political expression not seen in decades.

While met with relief, the relaxation has also sparked concerns about a new wave of infections potentially overwhelming healthcare resources in some areas.

However, Xi’s government is still officially committed to stopping virus transmission, the last major country to try. But the latest moves suggest the party will tolerate more cases without quarantines or shutting down travel or businesses as it winds down its “zero-COVID” strategy.