(Hong Kong) China announced on Friday that it will fully reopen its borders with Hong Kong and Macao on Monday after a long lockdown due to the pandemic, ending daily traveler quotas and mandatory COVID-19 testing. 19.
All remaining restrictions will be lifted from midnight local time Monday and tour packages may resume, the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Bureau said.
China’s two special administrative regions have complied with Beijing’s “zero COVID-19” policy for nearly three years, at the cost of family separations, a halt to tourism and a severe blow to businesses.
Cross-border travel between Hong Kong and mainland China resumed in January after Beijing suddenly abandoned its isolation strategy.
Initially, 60,000 people were then allowed to cross the border daily in each direction in exchange for a negative PCR test.
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee said on Friday that the partial reopening had been “orderly, safe and smooth”.
The maximum quota of 60,000 travelers will be lifted on Monday.
And unvaccinated people arriving from overseas will now be allowed to enter Hong Kong, but “we will maintain the screening requirement for (them) for a period of observation to ensure that the risks are manageable”, it said. said Mr. Lee.
The long separation between Hong Kong and mainland China – the most important source of Hong Kong’s growth – has had serious consequences, with some experts estimating losses for the Asian financial center at 27 billion dollars (24.8 billion euros). .
Mainland Chinese have long made up the bulk of visitors to Hong Kong: there were 51 million in 2018, nearly seven times the territory’s population.
Hong Kong authorities are hoping for an influx of visitors that could help revitalize the recession-hit city’s economy, injecting cash into its tourism and trade sectors.
Hong Kong’s head of government announced on Thursday the launch of a promotional campaign to attract foreign tourists, promising more than half a million free plane tickets and that there would be “no isolation or quarantine”. , nor restrictions”.
The outdoor mask requirement remains in place in Hong Kong, although Lee said it may be lifted after the seasonal flu outbreak.