Hong Kong is looking to drop the requirement that travelers to and from mainland China get a PCR test and seeking to remove the cap on people crossing the border, according to the city government’s No. 2 official.
(Bloomberg) — Hong Kong is looking to drop the requirement that travelers to and from mainland China get a PCR test and seeking to remove the cap on people crossing the border, according to the city government’s No. 2 official.
The “ultimate target” is to do away with both restrictions, Chief Secretary Eric Chan said at a media session Sunday.
“I understand people would think that to do the PCR test is not that convenient,” said Chan, according to a transcript. “Our target is to cancel this arrangement – and eventually it is quota-free.”
Crossborder travel restarted after China abandoned Covid Zero policies that essentially sealed the country off from the world for three years. The resumption is particularly significant for Hong Kong, which welcomed almost 44 million arrivals from mainland China in 2019 and where the cost of separation has weighed heavily on the economy.
The initial quota, or daily cap, permitted about 60,000 people to travel to the mainland from Hong Kong, including a limit of 50,000 via land borders. Travelers must present a 48-hour negative PCR test result before departing from either side of the border.
–With assistance from Jinshan Hong and Denise Wee.
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