Coronavirus Hong Kong: 187,000 people sign up for health code enabling mainland China travel
- Some hoping to cross the border in the near future encounter activation issues relating to providing proof of address, which needs to be verified by officials
- New health code is required for people in Hong Kong wanting to head to the mainland under reopening of the border expected later this month, with travel initially limited to Guangdong
Some 187,000 Hongkongers signed up on Friday for the city’s new Covid-19 health code, which is required for quarantine-free travel to mainland China under a long-awaited reopening of the border.
The Innovation and Technology Bureau revealed the figure as of 9pm on registrations for version 3.0 of the “Leave Home Safe” risk-exposure app. More than 35,000 people had activated their accounts.
Bureau chief Alfred Sit Wing-hang said users must provide proof of address that needed to be verified before an individual’s health code could be activated. He added those unable to do so would be posted a personal identification number, hopefully next week, so their registrations could be completed.
It would be quicker to verify the addresses of people living on public housing estates because the government held the relevant records, Sit said.
“We hope to complete all the preparations to facilitate the border reopening,” he said.
The health code is linked to the new version of the official risk-exposure app. Using a QR code, it essentially serves as an entry ticket to the mainland, with border officials accepting only green codes, indicating the lowest level of risk. Joining the scheme is voluntary for those not wanting to visit the mainland.
Quarantine-free travel to the mainland – initially limited to Guangdong province – is expected to be launched shortly after the December 19 Legislative Council election, according to insiders.