The first batch of visitors from the Chinese mainland line up at an immigration counter to cross to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region at Futian port in Shenzhen on January 8, 2023. PARKER ZHENG CHINA DAILY The current mandatory COVID 19 tests required for travel between the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Chinese mainland are due to be scrapped in the coming days, according to Tam Yiu-chung, a Hong Kong delegate to the country's top legislature.
Tam said that a decision on the lifting of nucleic acid tests required for travelers will be made soon, probably in the next few days, according to Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan Kwok-ki.
Hong Kong residents who are going to the mainland must produce a negative COVID- 19 test within 48 hours of departure.
Cross-boundary travel has been safe and orderly so far, according to Tam Yiu-chung, a Hong Kong delegate to the country s top legislature, as the daily quota for HKSAR residents traveling north could be removed as the quota had not been used up during the Chinese New Year holidays.
Tam said the daily quota set for SAR residents traveling north could be removed, as the quota had not been used up during the Chinese New Year holidays, and cross-boundary travel has been safe and orderly so far.
He said both the SAR and the mainland are ready for a full resumption of normal travel that would not require bookings or nucleic acid tests.
The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, the city's largest political party, had earlier sent a letter to the National Health Commission proposing that the nucleic acid tests for cross-boundary travel be lifted.
The letter states that the HKSAR government and the mainland authorities are discussing implementing the second phase of arrangements for the resumption of normal travel.