Border Crossing Limits Scrapped, Test Rules Eased

Mainland authorities on Friday announced a further relaxation of infection-control measures at the border, so travellers between Hong Kong and the mainland will no longer have to book a time slot, and most of them will not have to present a PCR test result.

In a statement, the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office said that from Monday, there will no longer be a quota for people travelling between Hong Kong and the mainland. Previously, the daily number of travellers at land crossings had been limited to 50,000.

The office said that only travellers who had been outside the mainland in the seven days before they cross the border will now have to do a PCR test. The test will have to be conducted within 48 hours of the crossing, and children aged three or below are exempt.

If travellers don't look well or if they have a temperature, customs officers will carry out a Covid-19 test for them at the border, and anyone testing positive will have to self-isolate or seek treatment after they arrive in the mainland.

The statement added that relevant departments and cross-border transport operators should improve their coordination to make sure the borders are "as open as possible" and measures are "as convenient as possible", adding that the capacity of roads, railway, sea and air travel should be utilised to the fullest.