Hk raises prospect of Shenzhen border reducing by Aug four

BEIJING: Hong Kong’s new health secretary said on Mon (Jul 4) he hoped the boundary with Shenzhen might reopen before Aug 4, a proceed that would mark a significant relaxation of China’s strict border handles, generating divided opinions on Chinese social media.

Health Secretary Lo Chung-mau posted a blog on Hong Kong’s Health Bureau web site expressing hope that relatives separated with the border between Hong Kong and mainland The far east could reunite in time for the “Qixi” Event, China’s equivalent of Valentine’s Day, to be held this year on August 4.

“I hope that the pandemic will be controlled which with the joint cooperation between Hong Kong and Shenzhen, more people who need to return to the Mainland for family reunions… can enter Shenzhen via the Shenzhen These types of Bridge, ” had written Lo, whose visit was announced by China’s State Council last month.

While this is not the first time a Hong Kong recognized has hinted at a potential border reopening, Lo’s statement comes after China halved the quarantine time for inbound travellers last week, a major reducing of COVID-19 curbs that have deterred travel to China for two-and-a-half years, including from Hong Kong.

In Lo’s blog post, that was only published within Chinese, he mentioned that despite the new quarantine time of 7 days in centralised services, followed by three days’ self-monitoring, entering mainland China from Hong Kong was still cumbersome.

Lo had written that the demand for quarantine hotels in Shenzhen had just increased with the cutting of quarantine situations. Lo also pointed out other recurring problems, such as booking the seat on the tour bus from Hong Kong in order to Shenzhen.

Lo noted that the starting of the border between Hong Kong and mainland China would depend upon Hong Kong’s epidemic situation and the reduction of community bacterial infections.

Hong Kong upon Monday reported one, 645 local coronavirus infections, and 196 imported infections.