Editorial | Hong Kong must rise to challenge of full border reopening
- With the city set to take its latest steps towards post-Covid normality, officials have to ensure the operation is implemented smoothly and seize the momentum to drive economic recovery and integration further
The full resumption of unrestricted cross-border travel between mainland China and Hong Kong from Monday will mark another milestone in the pursuit of post-Covid normality.
Authorities appear to have passed the test in the first phase of reopening, with a total of 1.47 million trips made both ways over the past four weeks without any serious problems reported.
The real test, however, comes as more people cross the border following the abolition of pre-departure tests and daily quotas. Officials must ensure the operation is implemented smoothly and seize the momentum to drive economic recovery and cross-border integration further.
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Mainland China to open all borders with Hong Kong and Macau, travel tours to resume
The latest changes are long overdue. They include the lifting of vaccination requirements for international arrivals, although rapid antigen tests (RAT) will remain in what is said to be a necessary step to curb imported infections.
Those who have been overseas in the past week will still need a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test 48 hours before departure from Hong Kong or Macau to the mainland.
The remaining rules may still inconvenience frequent travellers and those in transit. However, they are nothing when compared to the days when mandatory hotel quarantine and other travel restrictions were in place.
After all, a relatively low number of imported infections are still reported each day. As rightly reminded by the World Health Organization recently, Covid-19 remains a “public health emergency of international concern”. It means the threat is yet far from over.