China may end quarantine for Hong Kong border as soon as January 3: Report | CPT PPP Coverage

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China may remove quarantine requirements for cross-border travelers between Hong Kong and the mainland as early as January 3, the South China Morning Post reported, citing two mainland official sources.

A policy known as “0 3” is being considered, under which travelers to the mainland would no longer be required to undergo five days of quarantine and instead only have to “observe three days of medical surveillance,” the Hong Kong-based English newspaper said.

“Many are working hard towards a tentative date of January 3,” the report cited a Beijing-based official as saying, referring to the targeted date of easing border controls.

The report came after Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee told media on Saturday that the city intends to start reopening its borders with mainland China before mid-January, aiming at returning to pre-Covid cross-border travel arrangements. Speaking to reporters on returning from a trip to Beijing, where he met President Xi Jinping, Lee said his team will hold talks with Shenzhen and Guangdong governments to formulate a plan to reopen the borders, and will form a task force to focus on the issue.

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Top Hong Kong officials met on Christmas Day to discuss details of a plan to fully reopen the city’s border with mainland China, with Chief Secretary for Administration Chan Kwok-ki chairing the first meeting of a new task force that brought together ministers from each of the 15 bureaus to look at operational matters.

The border between Hong Kong and mainland China has been effectively shut for almost three years. Currently a daily quota limits how many travelers can enter the mainland from Hong Kong, and mainland authorities also require they undergo at least five days of hotel quarantine.

It’s likely that certain groups of Hong Kong residents would be given priority in the initial stages of reopening, the SCMP said, citing local government sources. The city and mainland would also need to discuss how to reopen their border “in an orderly manner” as Hong Kong needs to prepare for an influx of visitors, it said.

Hong Kong railway services operator MTR Corp. said on Sunday it is “working in full swing” to prepare for the border reopening. Most of Hong Kong’s border checkpoints have been closed since early 2020.