China is fully reopening its borders with Hong Kong and Macau

China said on Friday it will fully reinstate cross-border travel with Hong Kong and Macau next week, scrapping Covid testing requirements and daily quotas after a lengthy pandemic separation.

The semi-autonomous cities have both adhered to Beijing’s zero-COVID strategy for nearly three years, breaking up families, cutting off tourism and suffocating businesses.

The State Council’s Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office said on Friday that all remaining restrictions would be lifted from midnight on February 6 and group travel would be allowed to resume.

Restricted travel across the Hong Kong-Mainland China border resumed in January after Beijing abruptly ended its isolationist policies.

Initially, only 60,000 people were allowed to cross in both directions each day and had to show a negative PCR test.

Hong Kong leader John Lee said on Friday that the partial reopening had been “orderly, safe and smooth”.

Hong Kong’s prolonged separation from its main source of growth has taken a heavy toll, with some estimating that it has cost the financial hub $27 billion.

The mainland has long made up the vast majority of visitors to Hong Kong, with about 51 million arrivals in 2018, nearly seven times the city’s population.

City officials hope an influx of visitors will revive the recession-hit economy and inject money into the once-vibrant tourism and retail sector.

Unvaccinated foreign travelers will be allowed to visit Hong Kong from Monday, but Lee said rapid antigen testing will still be required before arrival.

“As the full reopening of the border with mainland China will bring a major increase in travel, to ensure risks are manageable, we will maintain the testing obligation for foreign travelers for a period of observation “, he said.

The full relaunch of mainland travel comes a day after Lee rolled out a rebranding campaign to woo foreign tourists, promising more than half a million free flights and “no isolation, no quarantine and no restrictions”.

Outdoor masks remain mandatory in Hong Kong, though Lee has said the policy could be dropped after the winter flu wave.

AFP