Hui also advised that mainland visitors only be allowed to enter Hong Kong through either the airport, the high-speed rail link or via the Shenzhen Bay checkpoint.

Citing past coronavirus waves in Hong Kong and Singapore following the easing of curbs, the health expert said the local government needed to monitor the mainland’s epidemic situation and adjust immigration policies accordingly.

“Usually when there is a serious outbreak in a country, new variants or subvariants can emerge. The Hong Kong government also needs to watch out as to whether this would happen on the mainland,” he said.

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Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, who left for Beijing for his first duty visit on Wednesday, earlier said he would raise the subject of fully opening the border with state leaders.

A source familiar with the matter told the Post that Lee was expected to meet President Xi Jinping and outgoing Premier Li Keqiang on Friday.

Respiratory medicine specialist Dr Leung Chi-chiu said he believed that mainland authorities would relax travel restrictions along the border following Lee’s visit and before the Lunar New Year.

“The border reopening is all about managing the difference between the epidemic situation on the mainland and in Hong Kong,” he said. “As Beijing gradually becomes less insistent on dynamic-zero, it’s getting more tolerant of imported cases too.”

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Meanwhile, business leaders and politicians said they hoped restrictions could be gradually eased for travellers coming to the mainland via Hong Kong.

Michael Hui Wah-kit, chairman of the Small and Medium Enterprises Committee, said the current situation was “very inconvenient” for Hongkongers travelling over the border.

“There is a daily quota for visitors and you have to fight for train or flight tickets. You also need a hotel room for the five-day quarantined period followed by three days of home surveillance,” he said. “We hope all these can be relaxed.”

The remarks from Hui followed last week’s decision by authorities in Shenzhen to increase the daily quota for Hong Kong visitors from 2,500 to 2,800.

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Hospital in China overwhelmed with patients after Covid controls eased

Hospital in China overwhelmed with patients after Covid controls eased

Lawmaker Ben Chan Han-pan, of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, said he hoped the central government would consider scrapping the quota and replacing a hotel quarantine requirement for inbound visitors with a three-day home isolation period.

“I don’t think the mainland government will relax everything in one go. Adopting ‘0+3’, scrapping the daily quota and [hotel] quarantine are more practical things that we hope can be achieved soon,” he said.

Tam Yiu-chung, the city’s sole delegate to the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, called on local authorities to start preparing for a full border reopening to ensure a smooth transition.

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Political analyst Lau Siu-kai, vice-president of semi-official Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies think tank, said he was optimistic that a full border reopening would be implemented in the near future.

The political commentator said President Xi had already outlined his support for Lee during his visit to mark the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese rule, during which he called on him to improve “governance and boost the momentum for development, among other things”.

“But without an open border, the city can only focus on livelihood and housing issues, not the economy,” Lau said.

Last month, Hong Kong downgraded its full-year economic forecast from between 0.5 per cent growth and 0.5 per cent contraction to a 3.2 per cent decrease amid an ongoing recession, citing a deteriorating external environment and the pandemic.

But Lau said he believed state leaders would fully acknowledge Lee’s efforts to uphold Xi’s expectations of his administration, including tackling livelihood issues and maintaining Hong Kong’s unique strengths under the “one country, two systems” governing principle.

“Rather than looking for substantive achievements, the state leaders are more likely to value Lee’s sincerity and determination in meeting these goals,” he said.

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The political commentator cited Lee’s plan to introduce a “light public housing” scheme to alleviate the shortage of living spaces and recent overseas trips by Lee and Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po to promote Hong Kong as indicators the “new administration is eager to achieve results”.

As part of his maiden policy address in October, Hong Kong’s leader proposed creating 30,000 transitional homes to reduce the waiting period for public housing and improve the quality of life for low-income households.

Hong Kong-based political commentator Johnny Lau Yui-siu said he expected state leaders would recognise Lee’s efforts to further integrate the city with the mainland, as well as his push for ministers to draft blueprints covering topics such as youth policy and technological innovation.

During his four-day duty visit, Lee is being accompanied by his wife Janet Lee Lam Lai-sim and Carol Yip Man-kuen, the director of the Chief Executive’s Office.