At Shenzhen Bay Checkpoint on Thursday, a Hong Kong resident surnamed Guan had a big hug to his 87-year-old mother who was escorted by Shenzhen police and volunteers to the border.
Before reuniting with her family, the woman, surnamed Yan, had been living alone at Huanggangcun in Futian District for many years. As she got older, she could not take care of herself and planned to return to Hong Kong for medical treatment, according to Shenzhen Special Zone Daily.
Guan therefore turned to the frontier inspection station of Shenzhen Bay Checkpoint for help Tuesday. In two days, a team made up of policemen and volunteers from Shenzhen escorted the octogenarian to her son safe and sound.
Before setting off to Hong Kong, the team arranged for a home nucleic acid test for Yan and coordinated the meeting time with her family in Hong Kong.
When the departure date came on Thursday, the race against time started. Around 11 a.m., police officers and volunteers arrived at Yan’s home to help her fill out declaration forms, pack up her luggage and prepare required travel documents.
After everything was ready, a policeman carried Yan on his back going down the stairs from the fifth floor and she was gently carried into a vehicle downstairs her building.
At 11:30 a.m., the car made its way to Shenzhen Bay Checkpoint, where a border policeman had been waiting with water and first-aid medicines.
Twenty minutes later, Yan was in a wheelchair and handed over to a police officer in protective gear upon her arrival at the exit hall. She also went through a green channel for documentation inspection.
When they reached the Shenzhen-Hong Kong border, Guan was excited to meet his mother and pick her up with the collaborative efforts of Shenzhen police and Hong Kong checkpoint staffers.
“Mom! Let’s go home,” Guan said enthusiastically. “Thank all of you for helping us reunite.”