Coronavirus: Hong Kong residents will be eligible to return from anywhere in mainland China without quarantine from Thursday

No two-week quarantine for residents living over the border who test coronavirus negative just before returning to Hong Kong

Minister says one-way system can only be reciprocal when Hong Kong has close to zero new Covid-19 cases, no untraceable infections

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The first Hong Kong residents cross over from Macau during last November’s launch of the Return2HK scheme. Photo: Felix Wong

Published: 5:14pm, 26 Apr 2021Updated: 5:39pm, 26 Apr 2021

All Hong Kong residents living in mainland China will be eligible to return to the city from Thursday without undergoing 14-day quarantine if they have tested negative for the coronavirus, officials have announced.

But the one-way arrangement under an expansion of the “Return2HK” scheme will not be reciprocal at this stage, with the government admitting that mainland authorities still see Hong Kong as a risky area when it comes to Covid-19.

Warning that progress was needed in the city’s pandemic fight, civil service chief Patrick Nip Tak-kuen said: “To enable us to [reopen the border], it is very important that the epidemic situation in Hong Kong is under control.

“We must achieve near to zero, or sustain a low number of, confirmed cases, and very importantly, no unlinked cases.

“In the eyes of mainland authorities, they will look into whether Hong Kong, in their classification, is still a high- or medium- risk area.”

Mainland quarantine exemptions would remain a distant prospect for as long as Hong Kong still presented Covid-19 risks, Nip said, but added: “We are still exploring the possibilities to allow vaccinated residents to return to the mainland without the need of quarantine.”