HONG KONG - By February next year, Hong Kong could be reopening borders with the mainland on a "large-scale", the city's leader said on Friday (Nov 5), breaking the long silence on an expected time frame for quarantine-free visits between both sides.
Speaking at the second Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area development forum, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said her government hopes to be able to hold large-scale events in February.
"For now, Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang is in the midst of preparing for this. We hope to hold a huge seminar to mark the third anniversary of Beijing's outline development plan for the Greater Bay Area.
"Next year is also the 25th anniversary of the handover from British to Chinese rule, so I hope everyone here works together to create the environment for us to reopen borders with the mainland smoothly," said Mrs Lam.
Describing recent talks between Hong Kong and mainland officials as "good progress", she said various sectors have been looking forward to travelling to the mainland without having to undergo quarantine, and that discussions on this front have been positive.
Local media on Thursday (Nov 4) reported that quarantine-free travel between both sides could come as soon as December, with the initial plan to be limited to Guangdong province for a start.
The same day, the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office said both parties "are working toward a gradual border reopening", while the Hong Kong government said the video call between experts and officials of both sides on Tuesday (Nov 2) was "constructive" and "conducive".
Hong Kong has avoided having Covid-19 outbreaks in the community for about five months, with the number of confirmed cases so far at over 12,300 and 213 deaths.
As part of its efforts to press for reopening with the mainland, the government is tightening measures and loopholes.
These include scrapping quarantine exemptions for most diplomats and researchers, as well as sending recovered patients who are discharged from hospitals to an isolation facility for a 14-day quarantine.
From Nov 12, those exempted from quarantine will be narrowed down to cross-boundary truck and coach drivers, airline cabin crew, shipping crew of cargo vessels and government officials carrying out their duties.
International business lobby groups have in recent months warned that Hong Kong could lose talent and investment unless it eases border and quarantine controls.
They sought to petition the government for easier travel, adding that Hong Kong is losing to rival finance hub Singapore, but Mrs Lam has reiterated that the priority is to reopen borders with the mainland - Hong Kong's primary source of growth.
