Hongkongers’ lengthy wait for border reopening likely to get longer, source says, as some brave quarantine to spend Lunar New Year with families in mainland China
- Despite most of the groundwork being laid, Beijing is reluctant to give the green light for quarantine-free travel amid mainland outbreaks and Omicron’s spread
- But for some, the wait has gone on long enough, and the prospect of shelling out to spend weeks in isolation is worth it to reunite with their families
Though most of the preparations for reopening the border with mainland China had already been completed – including reactivating checkpoints and ironing out the details of a health code system for Hong Kong travellers – it was still up to Beijing to decide when to lift restrictions, something they were unlikely to do under the current circumstances, the source said on Tuesday.
“The central government will have the final decision on when to start the border-opening process. But personally, I believe it might come only after all of Guangdong’s mid-risk zones are downgraded to low-risk by the health commission,” the source said.
Ten areas in the Guangdong city of Dongguan are still listed as mid-risk by mainland health authorities. Normally, an area’s risk level can only be downgraded to low after 14 consecutive days without a new, locally transmitted case.
The Post previously reported that quarantine-free cross-border travel – initially restricted just to Guangdong province – could resume this month, with priority given on the basis of business necessity or compassionate grounds.
The border has been sealed to most travellers since early 2020 unless they are willing to undergo a lengthy – and potentially pricey – quarantine on the mainland. But for some Hongkongers, the wait has dragged on long enough that the prospect of shelling out to spend weeks in isolation is worth it if it means reuniting with their families for the coming Lunar New Year.
Immigration statistics show nearly 16,400 people left Hong Kong for the mainland between Monday and last Friday.
On Tuesday, travellers passing through the Shenzhen Bay border checkpoint – one of only three to remain open, along with the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge and Hong Kong International Airport – said they had timed their trips to be able to complete quarantine ahead of the holiday, which begins on February 1.
Carrying a suitcase and a backpack, 29-year-old construction worker Yuan Jiasheng left Hong Kong for the mainland on Tuesday morning. He said he had not seen his wife and two children in the Guangdong city of Shanwei for two years.
“I have never been separated from them for such a long time. I miss them so much,” said Yuan, who used to travel across the border every month before the onset of the pandemic.
He said he was willing to pay for a 21-day stint in hotel quarantine on the mainland to be with his family for Lunar New Year, but would have to return to Hong Kong alone for work after the holiday.
Coming back to the city is considerably easier, with Hongkongers and certain mainland travellers allowed to skip quarantine under the government’s “Return2HK” and “Come2HK” schemes.
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Luo, 50, a part-time waitress who asked to be identified only by her surname, was also crossing at the Shenzhen Bay checkpoint on Tuesday to spend Lunar New Year with her widowed mother in Shenzhen.
Originally from Shenzhen, Luo came to the city in 2003 after marrying a Hongkonger, but the couple later divorced, and their son and daughter moved in with her ex.
Without a place to live in Hong Kong, Luo used to live in Shenzhen and commute across the border for work every day, but the pandemic put an end to that. She remained on the mainland until March of this year, when she came back to Hong Kong for work.
She now earns about HK$11,000 (US$1,410) a month and often stays at a friend’s place, though she is sometimes forced to sleep rough in local parks.
“I have waited and waited, but the border is still yet to be reopened,” she said. “Despite the expenses and the quarantine, I have to go back and visit my mother for the New Year.”
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Businessman Ji Boyang, 55, left Hong Kong via Shenzhen Bay with his eight-year-old daughter at noon on Tuesday so they could complete their 21-day quarantine before Lunar New Year.
The Hongkonger and his mainland-born wife live in Shenzhen with their children, and before the pandemic started, his daughter, a Primary Three pupil, travelled across the border every day for school. Since the pandemic began, however, she has remained on the mainland and studied online instead.
Ji brought his daughter back to Hong Kong a week ago to handle some school matters before hurrying back to Shenzhen to celebrate the New Year at home.
“It has been so long, and the wait still seems endless,” he said.
Meanwhile, two incoming Hong Kong lawmakers on Tuesday took issue with what they characterised as baffling arrangements currently in place at the border.
Bill Tang Ka-piu, of the Federation of Trade Unions, said some cross-border travellers waited for six hours to cross into Shenzhen on Sunday as mainland authorities required them to take new Covid-19 tests, despite them having already taken one before leaving Hong Kong.
Noting many of those travelling to get back before the New Year were elderly, he called on Shenzhen authorities to make more convenient testing arrangements and let border crossers wait for their results at their designated hotels.
“It’s the peak time, so the improvement is necessary,” he told a radio programme.
Michael Tien Puk-sun said he too was puzzled by the arrangement and would ask Hong Kong and mainland authorities to follow up. Tien told the same programme that according to his understanding, Beijing had already set a date for the reopening, but local authorities across the border still had concerns.
“Shenzhen and Zhuhai seem to be nervous about the risk of Omicron outbreaks, so the plan is on hold right now,” he said.
Additional reporting by Jack Tsang
