Coronavirus: Hong Kong travel agencies open bookings for mainland tours after two months, amid warnings of second wave of infections

Travel agents are banking on activities resuming across the mainland as cities come out of lockdown and local quarantine restrictions expire on May 7

But medical experts warn the public not to travel in the coming one to two months as there may be a recurrence of infections across the border

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Published: 9:25pm, 13 Apr 2020Updated: 10:59pm, 13 Apr 2020

Some major travel agencies in Hong Kong have opened bookings for mainland tours in May after a hiatus of nearly two months, as the city recorded a second straight day of single-digit rise in coronavirus infections.

The resumption of business, however, raised eyebrows among the Travel Industry Council and some medical experts, who warned of a second Covid-19 wave in mainland China, even as local quarantine measures were still in place for all arrivals from across the border.

Travel agents in Hong Kong are banking on activities resuming across the mainland as cities come out of lockdown, and local quarantine restrictions expire on May 7. The Hong Kong government has not announced any plans for an extension.

Agencies such as Morning Star, Hong Thai and Sunflower Travel are offering packages for May, the Post has found. Destinations include Hangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing and most of the Guangdong cities.

All customer service staff from these agencies said they were reopened for booking, but added that these trips might be subjected to change if the pandemic worsened, or if the government extended its quarantine measures.

The resumption of tourism business has raised eyebrows among medical experts, who warn of a second Covid-19 wave in mainland China. Photo: AFP