Progressive, orderly and comprehensive resumption of normal travel between Hon

The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) today (January 5) announced that, with a consensus reached after deliberation and co-ordination with the Central Government, the Guangdong Provincial Government and the Shenzhen Municipal Government, and upon obtaining approval from the Central Government, the normal travel of persons between Hong Kong and the Mainland will be resumed in phases starting January 8 in an orderly manner. The aim is to resume normal travel with the Mainland in a progressive, orderly and comprehensive manner.

The first-phase resumption will start on January 8, covering the Hong Kong International Airport (flights between Hong Kong and the Mainland), the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the Shenzhen Bay Control Point that are in operation, as well as the reopened Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal, the China Ferry Terminal, Man Kam To Control Point and Lok Ma Chau Spur Line/Futian Control Point. To achieve resumption of normal travel in an orderly manner, the HKSAR Government has ensured transportation arrangements in place, and prescribed daily numbers of persons who can pass through certain boundary control points (BCPs) and require the persons concerned to make bookings online prior to travelling. Also, persons travelling between Hong Kong and the Mainland will be required to undergo a nucleic acid test within 48 hours with a negative result obtained before travelling.

The HKSAR Government will review the overall implementation of the first stage as soon as possible to summarise the experience gained, and maintain liaison with relevant Mainland authorities on the arrangements of any subsequent phase. Such arrangements include covering more BCPs, raising the prescribed daily numbers of persons who can pass through relevant BCPs as appropriate, and allowing cross-boundary students to travel every day between the Mainland and Hong Kong after the Chinese New Year for face-to-face classes.

Arrangements for resumption of normal travel

Detailed arrangements for the first-phase resumption are as follows:

(1) As the passenger handling capacity of the Hong Kong International Airport (flights between Hong Kong and the Mainland), the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal and the China Ferry Terminal are subject to their maximum passengers-handling capacities, the arrangement for prescribing daily numbers of persons who can pass through these BCPs is not necessary (except for private cars and cross-boundary hire cars travelling via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge; see (3) of this section). The total one-way daily transportation capacity of these BCPs is expected to be around 10 000 passengers;

(2) As for land BCPs, all passenger clearance services (including private cars clearance services, if any), as well as normal operating hours (see Annex 1), at Shenzhen Bay Control Point, Man Kam To Control Point and Lok Ma Chau Spur Line/Futian Control Point will be resumed. Prescribed daily one-way numbers of persons who can pass through relevant BCPs will also be set (see (3) of this section);

(3) To ensure the resumption of normal travel in a safe, orderly and smooth manner, all persons (except for Mainland residents entering the Mainland, Hong Kong residents entering Hong Kong, and foreign visitors who return to Hong Kong from the Mainland) will be required to successfully make bookings online before travelling to the Mainland or Hong Kong through the three land BCPs mentioned above. The total prescribed daily one-way number of persons who can pass through these BCPs will be 50 000 (10 000 at Shenzhen Bay Control Point, 5 000 at Man Kam To Control Point, and 35 000 at Lok Ma Chau Spur Line/Futian Control Point); and

(4) For drivers of private cars and cross-boundary hire cars bound for the Mainland or Hong Kong via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and their passengers, if they belong to those required to make bookings online (see (3) of this section), they will be required to successfully do so before travelling via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. The total prescribed daily one-way number of such persons who can pass through the Bridge is 1 000.

Online bookings

The HKSAR Government launched an online booking system today requiring Hong Kong residents and foreign visitors to Hong Kong to successfully make bookings before they can travel to the Mainland from Hong Kong via the following BCPs, while Mainland residents are not required to make any booking for returning to the Mainland:

- Shenzhen Bay Control Point
- Man Kam To Control Point
- Lok Ma Chau Spur Line/Futian Control Point
- Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (Zhuhai) (applicable to drivers and passengers of private cars and cross-boundary hire car services only; no booking required for passengers of shuttle buses (Gold Buses))

Similarly, the Shenzhen Municipal Government launched an online booking system for Mainland residents to successfully make bookings before they can travel to Hong Kong from the Mainland. Hong Kong residents and foreign visitors returning to Hong Kong from the Mainland are not required to make any booking.

The online booking system of the HKSAR Government can be accessed via the GovHK portal (www.gov.hk). The booking system opens 24 hours a day. The booking time slots will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. A successful booking will be directly confirmed with an SMS notification sent to the applicant. If an applicant has an upcoming appointment, the system will not allow him/her to make any further booking. Each applicant can make a booking together with up to three accompanying persons.

The online booking system of the HKSAR Government will open up available time slots of eight weeks (from January 8 to March 4). Starting January 15, a new week's time slots will be made available for booking every Sunday at 9am (i.e. time slots for the week from March 5 to 11 to be available on January 15, and so on). A person who has successfully made a booking should arrive at the specified BCP at the time slot (morning, afternoon or evening) selected on the booking date, and bring along the booking confirmation (either a printed version or an electronic version stored on a mobile phone) together with the documents used for the booking for checking by BCP personnel.

Transport arrangements

The Transport and Logistics Bureau, the Transport Department, the Civil Aviation Department and the Marine Department have co-ordinated with the seaborne, land and air transport operators to press ahead with the resumption of normal travel with the Mainland in a progressive and orderly manner, and to ensure adequate public transport services for the public travelling to and from the BCPs. Relevant arrangements are as follows:

(1) Air services: local and Mainland airlines are gradually increasing or resuming scheduled passenger services between Hong Kong and various Mainland ports to meet the demand;

(2) Ferry services: ferry operators will resume services plying between Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal and Shenzhen Shekou, as well as between China Ferry Terminal and Shenzhen Fuyong. Cross-boundary ferry services to other Mainland ports will also be gradually resumed;

(3) Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Hong Kong Port: shuttle bus (Gold Bus) services between Hong Kong and Zhuhai Port will be enhanced;

(4) Shenzhen Bay Control Point: members of the public can take franchised buses, green minibuses or taxis to the Control Point. There are also cross-boundary coach routes directly travelling to the Mainland port area from Prince Edward, Yau Ma Tei, Tsim Sha Tsui, Wan Chai or Causeway Bay;

(5) Man Kam To Control Point: members of the public can take cross-boundary coaches plying between Sheung Shui and the Control Point; and

(6) Lok Ma Chau Spur Line/Futian Control Point: members of the public can take East Rail Line, franchised buses, green minibuses or taxis to the Control Point.

Further details about the public transport services to and from the BCPs are at Annex 2. Public transport operators will stand ready to enhance services at the BCPs when necessary subject to patronage demand and deploy additional manpower to assist passengers in need.

Anti-epidemic measures

Under the first-phase resumption of normal travel, all persons entering the Mainland from Hong Kong, or entering Hong Kong from the Mainland, are required to undergo a polymerase chain reaction-based nucleic acid test for COVID-19 within 48 hours prior to the scheduled time of flight departure (for those entering via the airport) or the time of arrival (for those entering via other BCPs) and obtain a negative result. Travellers should hold the applicable nucleic test report for checking by BCP personnel.

Meanwhile, the HKSAR Government advises all inbound persons to conduct daily rapid antigen tests (RATs) using self-arranged RAT kits during the period between the day of arrival (i.e. Day 0) and Day 5 after arrival in Hong Kong.

The handling arrangements for inbound persons testing positive are in line with those for local cases. Relevant persons should provide information to the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health through the online platforms (for nucleic acid tests or RATs) as early as possible. For further details, please refer to the webpage on Points to Note for Persons who Tested Positive.

The HKSAR Government will make every effort to protect local healthcare system and resources and ensure that Hong Kong residents in need will be accorded priority in receiving medical services and drugs. The Hospital Authority will continue to strengthen its emergency response and medical systems to ensure the efficient utilisation of resources and to improve its handling capacities. Eligible persons who are infected will have the priority to receive medical services and drugs.