Coronavirus: cross-border commuters fear for jobs as closure of checkpoints means longer travel times between Hong Kong and mainland China

One worker says the travelling time between his home in Shenzhen and his job in Hong Kong has tripled

100,000 daily commuters left with two functioning land crossings after four more border checkpoints were closed at midnight

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Travellers arrive in Hong Kong via Shenzhen Bay Port, one of the few crossings still open. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

Published: 6:01pm, 4 Feb 2020Updated: 11:46pm, 4 Feb 2020

Cross-border commuters took as much as triple the time to travel to work on Tuesday after four more control points were closed to contain the spread of the new coronavirus, with some saying the measure could cost them their jobs.

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor announced on Monday that four more border crossings – Lo Wu, Lok Ma Chau, Lok Ma Chau Spur Line and Macau Ferry Terminal – would be shut from midnight on Monday, adding to a list of six border crossings closed earlier.

Hong Kong reported its first death from the coronavirus on Tuesday, and had 17 confirmed cases.

The latest measures meant some 100,000 daily commuters, according to Lam, were left with two functioning land crossings, including Shenzhen Bay Port, between Hong Kong and mainland China.

Located on the western coast of Shenzhen, the port was the third busiest among eight of the mainland city’s gateways to Hong Kong in 2018, as reported by customs authorities.

Commuters who previously used other crossings were forced to make detours to the Western Corridor, a cross-border highway that includes the port checkpoint, following the closures.