Good News! The Full Restoration of the Mainland and HK and Macao

 

The Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism Integrated Group of the State Council issued a notice on the full resumption of people to and from the Mainland and Hong Kong and Macao. According to the notice, February 6 from 00:00the full restoration of the mainland and Hong Kong and Macao people to and from. 
Cancellation of immigration clearance arrangements via land border control points in Guangdong and Hong Kong by appointment, without a quota of people through customs. Resume the mainland residents and Hong Kong, Macao group travel operations.
 
Main Arrangements for Full Customs Clearance
Starting from February 6, Hong Kong will have full customs clearance with the Mainland, with the following key points.(a) Opening of all control points and no daily quota arrangement: on top of the existing operation of various control points, the Lo Wu Control Point, Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang Control Point, and Heung Yuen Wai/Lian Tong Control Point will be added to launch all passenger clearance services (including minibus clearance services) and operate with normal opening hours; while the Sha Tau Kok Control Point will resume cargo services for vehicles carrying coffins.In addition, there will no longer be a daily quota arrangement at all control points, i.e. any person can travel between Hong Kong and the Mainland via any control point without making online booking, and the online booking system of the SAR Government will cease operation accordingly.

(b) Abolition of pre-travel nucleic acid testing requirement: All persons entering the Mainland from Hong Kong and those entering Hong Kong from the Mainland are not required to undergo nucleic acid testing with negative results within 48 hours prior to travel. However, persons (except those aged three and below) travelling from Hong Kong to the Mainland who have stayed overseas or in Taiwan on or within seven days prior to their departure from Hong Kong to the Mainland are still required to undergo a nucleic acid test and obtain a negative result within 48 hours prior to their travel;

(c) Orderly promotion of the resumption of classes for cross-boundary students: cross-boundary students will travel from the Mainland to Hong Kong to participate in face-to-face classes on a daily basis in phases. The first phase will be implemented from February 8, covering cross-boundary students in secondary schools, while the second phase will be implemented from February 22, extending to cross-boundary students in elementary school, kindergartens and special schools.

 
Transport Support
The Transport and Logistics Bureau, Transport Department, Civil Aviation Department and Marine Department have coordinated with various public transport operators by land, sea and air to promote full customs clearance between Hong Kong and the Mainland, and are committed to ensuring adequate public transport services to take people to and from the control points. The transport support for the three new control points is as follows.(a) Lo Wu Control Point: The Lo Wu Station of the MTR East Rail Line will be reopened to serve cross-boundary passengers, and the public can take the MTR East Rail Line to the control point.(b) Heung Yuen Wai/Lian Tong Boundary Control Point: The public can take franchised buses, special minibuses or cabs to this control point, or drive private cars or use the pedestrian underpass connecting this control point to reach the relevant control point directly and cross the boundary after immigration clearance. In addition, Guangdong-Hong Kong cross-boundary private cars with regular quotas at the control point can also use the control point to cross the boundary;

(c) Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang Control Point: The public can take the Lok Ma Chau-Huanggang Cross-boundary Shuttle Bus (i.e. Huang Bu) to this control point, or choose the short-haul cross-boundary bus routes from Wan Chai, Prince Edward, Jordan, Kwun Tong or Tsuen Wan to reach this control point directly. Between 11:00 pm and 6:30 am, people can use cabs or green minibus services to cross the border at Lok Ma Chau to transfer to the Royal Bus. In addition, Guangdong-Hong Kong cross-boundary private cars with regular quotas at the control point can also use the control point to cross the boundary.

 

Depending on the passenger demand, the transport operators will enhance the transport services at the existing and new control points as necessary, and will also arrange additional manpower to assist passengers in need.

 
Resumption of Schooling for Cross-boundary Students
Taking into account the situation of immigration control and transportation during the initial period of full customs clearance, as well as the timetable for the full resumption of full-time face-to-face classes in local schools, the Education Bureau has decided, after discussion with the industry, to arrange for cross-boundary students of secondary schools to return to classes in Hong Kong from February 8, two days after full customs clearance, while cross-boundary students of elementary school, kindergartens and special schools will return to classes in Hong Kong from February 22 onwards.The Education Bureau will inform parents through their schools to ensure that they are aware of the clearance arrangements and transport facilities at the various control points, so that they can choose the appropriate control points for their children and allow sufficient time for them to cross the border to attend school.The SAR Government will also remind the students and their parents to apply for the relevant travel documents as soon as possible, and will provide support to assist them in handling related matters.

To help cross-boundary students adapt to face-to-face classes as soon as possible, the EDB has provided “Reference Suggestions to Help Cross-boundary Students Adapt to Resumption of Schooling” on the “School Resumption – Good Spirit” page, covering topics such as getting to know the campus, adapting to daily routines, establishing social circles and emotional support, so that schools can plan and arrange school activities early according to students’ needs.

 

 

The EDB calls on schools and parents to pay more attention to the social and psychological conditions of cross-border students after resumption of schooling and provide them with appropriate support.

In terms of remote testing, the notice requires that people entering from Hong Kong and Macau, if they have no history of residence in foreign countries or other foreign regions within 7 days, do not need to enter with a negative pre-trip nucleic acid test result for new coronavirus infection;

if they have a history of residence in foreign countries or other foreign regions within 7 days, the Hong Kong and Macau Special Administrative Region governments will check their pre-trip 48-hour negative nucleic acid test certificate for new coronavirus infection, and those with negative results will be released to enter Mainland (infants and children aged 3 and under are exempt from nucleic acid testing). Cross-border passenger carriers to inform passengers of the above nucleic acid testing requirements at the time of ticketing.

In terms of entry quarantine, the notice requires that people entering from Hong Kong and Macau complete the necessary customs clearance procedures upon arrival at the port with the customs health declaration code. Health declaration is normal and no abnormal customs port routine quarantine, can be released into the social surface. Health declaration of abnormal or fever and other symptoms of the personnel, the Customs test. Test results are positive, after entry, home, residence isolation or medical treatment as required.

Those with negative results will be subject to routine quarantine by Customs in accordance with the “Law of the People’s Republic of China on Health and Quarantine” and other laws and regulations. After entry to comply with the requirements of the local epidemic prevention and control.

In terms of port operations, the notice requires that, in order to ensure that personnel clearance and cross-border passenger transport safe, orderly and smooth, to further improve the experience of people to and from the port, port inspection departments and cross-border passenger transport carriers to strengthen the organization and coordination and dynamic scheduling, so that the mainland adjacent to Hong Kong, Macao ports should be opened as much as possible, customs clearance facilitation measures should be out as much as possible, the mainland and Hong Kong and Macao cross-border direct road passenger transport and railroad, waterways, air passenger transport capacity Should be used as much as possible.

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