Residential buildings are reflected in a window near the West Kowloon station in Hong Kong, China, on May 6, 2020. (PHOTO / BLOOMBERG)
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, which has closed all its land ports with the Chinese mainland since early 2020, except the Shenzhen Bay checkpoint and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, is gearing up for the gradual resumption of normal travel.
From Sunday, Shenzhen will increase the daily quota for reservations of hotel quarantine rooms via Shenzhen Bay to 3,500 from 2,800. The adjustment came days after Shenzhen raised it to 2,800 from 2,500 on Thursday in anticipation of a possible surge in traffic surge in the run-up to the Lunar New Year.
The Immigration Department has arranged for staff to return to duty at their control points from next Wednesday to retrain and familiarize themselves with the workflow
According to local media reports, preparations for the resumption of normal travel with the mainland are underway.
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The Immigration Department has arranged for staff to return to duty at their control points from next Wednesday to retrain and familiarize themselves with the workflow.
The Customs and Excise Department has started recalling their officers seconded to other posts during the closure of their checkpoints and rehiring retired officers. Once normal travel resumes, the department will also open a temporary command center to handle possible contingencies.
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The Security Bureau said it will prepare for normal travel resumption actively in accordance with the actual situation, and the checkpoints will be ready with flexible manpower deployed.
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It was reported that staff at the West Kowloon Station, Lo Wu Station, and Lok Ma Chau Station are gradually returning to work.