HK to fully resume cross-border travel with mainland

Hong Kong hopes to fully resume cross-border travel with the Chinese mainland including scrapping nucleic acid testing, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government John Lee said yesterday, adding that more details will be soon unveiled to help the city completely return to normalcy.

A screenshot of Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee at a media interview on the full resumption of cross-border travel between the mainland and Hong Kong.

Hong Kong further adjusted its COVID-19 response by ending compulsory quarantine for infected people starting from Monday, with those who test positive no longer required to report.

Some local officials and lawmakers have been calling for ending the requirement for nucleic acid testing for cross-border travel and canceling daily quota of cross-border travelers given that both the city and the mainland have been further optimizing COVID response and normalizing epidemic management.

Travelers cross the border at Shenzhen Bay Checkpoint on Jan. 29. SD-Agencies

After mainland borders reopened from Jan. 8, the daily quota for Hong Kong travelers heading to mainland was set at 60,000.

Lee believed that the decision to cancel the nucleic acid testing requirement will be made within a very short period of time.

In order to fully resume cross-border travel between Hong Kong and the mainland, Lee said that the HKSAR Government is now closely coordinating and discussing with relevant parties, all of whom agree on resuming border crossings as soon as possible in principle. More work should be done in discussing the details. Also, after the full resumption of cross-border travel, people should continue wearing masks.

Lee said that as COVID-19 prevention and control work enters a new stage, the government has set two main goals for its future work.

Lee pointed out that since the first phase of border reopening between Hong Kong and the mainland began Jan. 8, all control points have been operating well, achieving the goal of a safe, orderly and smooth reopening.

With Hong Kong’s rapid return to normalcy, Lee said the government is deploying a massive tourism campaign both overseas and on the mainland, including “Hello Hong Kong,” a global campaign to attract visitors.

Lee also announced that he will pay a duty visit to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates this Saturday to tell the good stories of Hong Kong and the opportunities here.