Passengers wearing face masks arrive from Shenzhen (back, left) to Hong Kong at Lo Wu MTR station, hours before the closing of the Lo Wu checkpoint crossing in Hong Kong, on Feb 3, 2020. (PHOTO / AFP)
The Lo Wu and Huanggang checkpoints are expected to reopen next week, with the prior quota booking and COVID-19 test requirement for all cross-border travelers to be lifted at the same time, according to Hong Kong lawmakers and media reports.
Earlier this week, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu pledged to resume full-scale quarantine-free travel with the Chinese mainland very soon, including opening more checkpoints and removing the daily travel quota and COVID-19 test requirements for cross-boundary traveler.
Michael Tien Puk-sun, legislator and Hong Kong deputy to the National People’s Congress, said he believes that goal will be achieved next week.
The Lo Wu checkpoint will reopen partly to start with, as the land crossing is still under renovation. Legislator Michael Tien Puk-sun estimated that initially only 30 percent to 40 percent of the counters will be put into service for immigration clearance
The Lo Wu checkpoint will reopen partly to start with, as the land crossing is still under renovation. Tien estimated that initially only 30 percent to 40 percent of the counters will be put into service for immigration clearance.
As Lo Wu checkpoint connects to the MTR East Rail Line’s Lo Wu Station, Tien said the rail operator will adjust its train timetable to avoid overcrowding at the land crossing.
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Lawmaker Gary Zhang Xinyu said the Hong Kong Immigration Department, Police Force, MTR and other relevant departments conducted a joint drill at Lo Wu checkpoint on Wednesday, suggesting that the land crossing will reopen soon.
Meanwhile, a notice circulating online indicates that the port will reopen on Monday. It was issued by the property management company of Luo Hu Commercial City, a Shenzhen shopping mall near Lo Wu checkpoint.
The notice reminds shop owners in the mall to prepare for a possible surge in passengers brought about by the reopening. China Daily contacted the mall for clarification, but a staff member said she had not received any such notice.
According to media reports, Huanggang checkpoint, the only land port to operate 24 hours a day before the pandemic, will reopen on Monday at the earliest. As the port is being redeveloped, passengers will use a temporary building to complete cross-boundary procedures, the reports said.
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According to information provided by the Shenzhen government, the temporary building has a daily capacity to handle 30,000 travelers and 3,000 passenger vehicles.
According to the Transportation Department, the shuttle bus service between the Huanggang checkpoint and Hong Kong’s Lok Ma Chau Control Point will resume when the port reopens.