Non-HK Residents Start Arriving Quarantine-free

Non-Hong Kong residents said on Wednesday they liked the scheme allowing them to come to the city without having to undergo quarantine, despite glitches that marred the registration process.

Registration for the Come2hk scheme began at midnight, and the authorities processed nearly 1,000 cases in the first hour alone.

One of those trying to make his way to the SAR is a man from Hunan province, who worked in Hong Kong but hasn't been here for more than a year.

He said he had to stay up until 2am to make a booking online because the system was congested for some time.

The government said some people couldn't connect to the website in the first hour because of system problems, which have since been fixed.

A Chinese University student who arrived through the Shenzhen Bay port said she's happy with the new scheme.

"This is convenient for us coming here to study. But if people come here for travel, it's still rather inconvenient because you have to undergo quarantine when you return to the mainland," she told reporters.

The student said she has no problems getting tested six times in the next three weeks, saying that's for everyone's safety.

The Come2hk scheme allows for 2,000 arrivals a day for those who were in Macau and Guangdong province in the past fortnight. The quota is split between the Shenzhen Bay and Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge checkpoints.