Travellers crossing Hong Kong-mainland Chinese border enjoy smoother journeys after health declaration rule axed
- Hongkongers heading north say crossing is more convenient after mainland authorities scrap mandatory health declaration introduced during Covid-19 pandemic
- ‘If there were a lot of people crossing and you still needed to deal with the black code, the whole process would be delayed,’ one traveller says
Travellers crossing the Hong Kong-mainland Chinese border enjoyed shorter journeys after authorities in the north lifted a mandatory health declaration on Wednesday, the final pandemic curb to be axed.
Business groups in the city welcomed the move, which they said would help their members cross the border, with the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce CEO Patrick Yeung Wai-tim praising it as a positive step for improving connectivity.
“This, together with the recent move to issue multiple-entry visas to foreigners working in Hong Kong to visit the mainland, makes it quicker and easier to travel within the one-hour living circle,” he said, referring to a plan to make cities in the Greater Bay Area accessible within an hour-long commute.
Last Covid-19 restriction on travel between Hong Kong and mainland China dropped
Tourists and commuters passing through the Lo Wu checkpoint in the morning expressed relief over no longer having to complete the form. Some said the change had caught them off guard.
A Post reporter observed hundreds of travellers at Lo Wu MTR station heading for the mainland at around 8.30am, with passengers using nearby immigration counters after arriving.
Mainland customs authorities introduced the cross-border requirement in early 2020 in response to the pandemic, with the policy applying to incoming and outgoing travellers.
They were issued a QR code, commonly known as a “black code”, which was scanned at the border.
Mainland customs authorities confirmed on their official WeChat account on Tuesday that the requirement would be scrapped from midnight on Wednesday. But notices still appeared on the mainland side that reminded travellers who were feeling unwell to submit health declarations to officials.
Hong Kong retiree Wilson Yung, 64, was among those making the journey in the morning and said the policy change had made travel much more convenient.
“The process will be faster,” he said. “If there were a lot of people crossing and you still needed to deal with the black code, the whole process would be delayed a little as everyone needed to scan their codes at the machine.
“Those who are not good at using their phones also have to fiddle with their phones for a while … Without this, it is better.”
Yung said he had no problems filling out the declaration, but most elderly struggled to use the system on their phones, adding he had once waited 20 minutes to cross the border because of such issues.
The retiree said he expected the change would shave five to 10 minutes off his travel time.
‘Hongkongers unlikely to head north despite end to cross-border health declaration’
Legal sector employee Mike Kwan, 45, said he made the crossing twice a week for work and the rule had been “repetitive” and a “waste of time” after the pandemic ended.
“I feel like it is unnecessary in the first place, where I have to purposely do another step,” he said, noting the policy had typically added five to 10 minutes onto his trips.
Italian engineer Julino Gabben, who splits his time between his office in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, said there was no need for the code.
“No place in the world requires this [type of] code,” he said. “You travel around the world without any kind of problem.”
Gabben, a Hong Kong permanent resident, said it was easy for him to use the system, but noted that it was difficult for first-time international visitors, especially the elderly.
Researcher Sherry Lam, 43, said the declaration cancellation had caught her by surprise as she headed north for a work trip.
“There is one less thing for me to worry about,” she said. “It will definitely be more convenient.”
Lam said she was visiting the mainland for the first time since the border fully reopened and had decided to travel with people familiar with the declaration system.
Some pro-establishment politicians had earlier argued that the system was too complicated for elderly people and had contributed to long queues at the border.
Last month, mainland authorities simplified the process by reducing the number of required information sections from 11 to nine for cross-border travel.
Local and foreign business groups in the city voiced approval for the latest decision, including the American, Australian and British chambers.
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“AustCham welcomes moves that give easier access to mainland China and help reassert Hong Kong’s attractiveness as a unique gateway to the mainland,” said Josephine Orgill, chair of the Australian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong.
Yeung, from the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, also pointed to a newly announced visa for foreigners visiting the mainland that is valid for a longer period than before.
Separately, authorities said the number of travellers arriving or departing through the city’s border crossing at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge had reached 15 million for the first three quarters of the year, up from about 192,000 in the same period in 2022.
Authorities noted that the jump in passenger traffic had also caused lost property cases at the checkpoint to increase by 16 times in the first three quarters over the same period last year. It hoped its self-service kiosks launched on Wednesday at the crossing would help residents and tourists report lost property or other non-emergency incidents.
