First In Three Years, China Will Open Its Border With Hong Kong On Sunday

Hong Kong - China high-speed rail immigration check facility at Shanghai Train Station. (Wikimedia Commons/MNXANL)

JAKARTA - China will reopen borders with Hong Kong's special administrative territory on Sunday for the first time in three years, as COVID-19 restrictions were lifted last month.

The reopening will bring the resumption of quarantine-free travel between financial and mainland centers, although it will be done in a "phase and regular" manner, China's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office said in a notice on Thursday.

China will reopen to the world on Sunday, welcoming returning international travelers and residents without the need for quarantine for the first time since 2020, even as infections soar after stopping its COVID restrictions.

In addition to imposing a lockdown across the city, Hong Kong is closely following China's tough zero-COVID policy until mid-2022, when it begins to relax some restrictions.

The former British colony revoked all COVID rules in December, but masks are still mandatory except during exercise.

Hong Kong and China have been following much of the world in loosening strict COVID precautions, while reopening borders has been delayed several times over the past year due to the COVID outbreak in one place or elsewhere.

Hong Kong leader John Lee told reporters on Thursday a maximum of 60,000 people per day either from Hong Kong or China could cross the border from January 8. People need to make online reservations to cross land borders, while ferries and flights are subject to ticket availability.

"Entering the mainland through Hong Kong is a very realistic and worthy option," Lee said.

"In terms of attracting foreign investment and talent, it will have a very positive effect," he continued.

Lee said the government would make announcements about border crossing arrangements between Hong Kong and the Macau gambling center in the future.

People in Hong Kong can only reach land through city airports or just two checkpoints, one in Shenzhen Bay and the other through the Hong Kong-Ztrade-Makau bridge.

Most other border points including the West Kowloon high-speed train terminal have been closed since early 2020.

It is known, before the coronavirus appeared in China at the end of 2019, there were more than 236 million passenger trips across their borders within a year, according to government data.

China will no longer require people to show COVID tests upon arrival on land from Hong Kong, while China will issue tourism and special business visas for mainlanders to visit Hong Kong from January 8, the office said.

China will also increase flights between the mainland, Hong Kong and Macau, he said.