Starry Lee Slams Govt Over Cross-border Travel Delay

DAB chairwoman Starry Lee on Wednesday grilled the government over its cross-border travel plan, saying officials have been talking about it for a while but people are yet to see any concrete action.

The head of the biggest pro-Beijing party was responding after Health Secretary Sophia Chan said a pilot scheme to allow people with negative coronavirus test results to travel between Hong Kong, Guangdong and Macau is to be rolled out.

However, the secretary didn't give any details about the plan, like who will be eligible and the number of people to be exempt from quarantine rules.

Lee was not happy with the health minister's response, saying the government has still not come up with a timetable for the scheme.

"The secretary referred to a pilot scheme. We have heard a lot about it for a long time but we have not seen it materialising," she said.

She said the work and family lives of many people who have to frequently travel across the border have been seriously affected by the compulsory quarantine rules.

Lee also questioned whether the government would subsidise residents on lower incomes who would like to participate in the travel scheme to get Covid-19 tests, which could cost more than HK$1,000 each time.

The pro-establishment lawmaker asked if the pilot scheme only favours the rich, as only they can afford the tests.

She said it is a "major livelihood issue", adding that she hoped the government would learn a lesson from the shortage of face masks at the start of the Covid-19 outbreak.

Chan said the government is working with the private medical sector to "explore ways" to lower the costs of the tests.

The government is developing a "health code system", where participants' coronavirus results could be uploaded to an electronic platform to be accessed by the relevant authorities, she added.