The SUN HK : HK resumes mass border crossing with mainland, Macau

By The SUN

Thousands of people were already at Lok Ma Chau border before the gates opened on Sunday
(Photo from China Daily)

Travel between Hong Kong and the mainland – and Macau - returned to near-normal starting Sunday, Jan. 8, with the drastic easing of anti-pandemic restrictions on either side of the border.

Immigration figures showed about 45,000 people had crossed between Hong Kong and the mainland by 8pm on Sunday, when quarantine-free travel was allowed for the first time in three years. About 33,000 of them were travelers from Hong Kong.

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Up to 50,000 slots were opened for people who made prior bookings to use any of the four land border crossings, while a further 10,000 were expected to enter via air or sea.

Residents on either side need not book their places if they were returning home, which theoretically would have doubled the quota initially set for the border crossings.

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All that was required for travelers to the mainland from Hong Kong was a negative PCR test result taken within 48 hours of departure from the city. Coming in, a negative antigen test result would suffice.

There was no corresponding statistic on the number of people who entered Macau from Hong Kong on the day travelers from the city were no longer required to present a negative result for a Covid-19 test.

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As with those coming from the mainland, people entering Hong Kong from Macau still need to present a negative result for a rapid test.

Limited ferry service was resumed between the two places for the first time in three years, while the Golden Bus fleet that take passengers from Hong Kong to Macau and Zhuhai started its 24-hour operation again.

CE Lee in inspection tour at Lok Ma Chau

Chief Executive John Lee led a group of officials in observing the initial flow of passengers at the border crossings and afterwards said the process had been smooth, and that there was no need to increase the 50,000 quota just yet.

Speaking to reporters after visiting the Lok Ma Chau check point, CE Lee said the quota was not fully booked yet over the Lunar New Year.

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"As of today, the quota isn't fully booked. Even for Lunar New Year's Eve, there's still about a thousand left on the quota," Lee said.

But he said he will continue to monitor the situation and liaise with Guangzhou and Shenzhen authorities to see when the quota can be reviewed, adding he hoped travel can eventually resume without any restrictions.

A Hong Kong traveler gets emotional welcome at Futian port in Shenzhen (China Daily)

Many of those who crossed the border under the newly relaxed rules were Hong Kong residents anxious to visit family members in the mainland whom they hadn’t seen since the pandemic broke out in early 2020.

They had hesitated to visit previously because of the strict testing, quarantine and isolation measures that the mainland had adopted in pursuit of its zero-infection policy.