The Chinese government announced that its border with Hong Kong will reopen on January 8, nearly three years after it was largely closed in an effort to contain the spread of Covid.
Following a Beijing announcement, Hong Kong leader John Lee told the media on Thursday that up to 60,000 Hong Kong residents will be able to cross the border into the mainland as a gradual reopening of border control points begins.
The change will eliminate the previously required quarantine for travelers from Hong Kong to the mainland.
All travelers must test negative for Covid using a PCR test within 48 hours of crossing, and passenger quotas apply in both directions.
The announced reopening coincides with China’s decision to eliminate quarantine requirements for international arrivals and a number of Covid restrictions imposed on airlines since the outbreak’s inception.
Following nationwide protests, Beijing has abruptly dismantled its suffocating Covid controls.
The ostensible reopening of the mainland follows three years of self-imposed global isolation, during which efforts to resume regular transit with Hong Kong were repeatedly postponed.
Since early 2020, the majority of previously busy border crossings between Hong Kong and mainland China have been closed, putting a heavy burden on families and businesses with ties on both sides.
The quota includes 50,000 people travelling through three land checkpoints, with the remaining 10,000 travelling through the Hong Kong International Airport, two ferry piers, and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge.
According to Lee, the cap does not apply to Hong Kong residents returning to Hong Kong from the mainland, nor to mainland Chinese returning to the mainland from Hong Kong. In addition to testing, some travel will necessitate advance reservations.
Flights from Hong Kong and neighboring Macau to mainland China will resume, and passenger capacity caps will be lifted, according to a statement from China’s State Council; the number of flights will increase in a “phased and orderly” manner, the statement said.
Land and maritime border controls between mainland China and Hong Kong and Macao will also reopen in a “phased and orderly” fashion.
According to the statement, China will also resume issuing tourist and business visas to mainland Chinese residents travelling to Hong Kong.
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