China reopens borders in final farewell to zero-Covid

HONG KONG/SHANGHAI – Travellers began streaming across land and sea crossings from Hong Kong to mainland China on Sunday, many eager for long-awaited reunions, as Beijing opened borders that have been all but shut since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

After three years, the mainland is opening its border with Hong Kong and ending a requirement for incoming travellers to quarantine.

The move dismantles a final pillar of a zero-Covid policy that had shielded Chinas people from the virus but also cut them off from the rest of the world.

Chinas easing over the past month of one of the worlds tightest Covid-19 regimes followed historic protests against a policy that included frequent testing, curbs on movement and mass lockdowns that heavily damaged the worlds second-biggest economy.

Im so happy, so happy, so excited. I havent seen my parents for many years, said Hong Kong resident Teresa Chow as she and dozens of other travellers prepared to cross into mainland China from Hong Kongs Lok Ma Chau checkpoint early on Sunday.

My parents are not in good health, and I couldnt go back to see them even when they had colon cancer, so Im really happy to go back and see them now, she said, adding that she plans to head to her hometown in eastern Chinas Ningbo city.

Investors hope the reopening will eventually reinvigorate a US$17 trillion (S$22 trillion) economy suffering its lowest growth in nearly half a century.

But the abrupt policy reversal has triggered a massive wave of infections that is overwhelming some hospitals and causing business disruptions.

The border opening follows Saturdays start of chun yun, the first 40-day period of Lunar New Year travel.

Before the pandemic, it was the worlds largest annual migration of people returning to their hometowns and taking holidays with family.

Some 2 billion trips are expected to be made this season, nearly double last years movement and recovering to 70 per cent of 2019 levels, the government says.

Many Chinese are also expected to start travelling abroad, a long-awaited shift for tourist spots in countries such as Thailand and Indonesia.

However, several governments are worried about Chinas Covid-19 spike and are imposing curbs on travellers from the country. The border opening follows Saturdays start of chun yun, the first 40-day period of Lunar New Year travel. PHOTO: EPA-EFE Travel will not quickly return to pre-pandemic levels due to such factors as a dearth of international flights, analysts say.

China on Sunday also resumed issuing passports and travel visas for mainland residents, and ordinary visas and residence permits for foreigners.

Beijing has quotas on the number of people who can travel between Hong Kong and China each day. Airport personnel walk inside the Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, on Jan 8, 2023. PHOTO: EPA-EFE Videos posted on Chinese social media showed workers at Shanghais Pudong airport overnight taking down bright blue boards marking routes through its international terminal to enforce a regime that required travellers from abroad to quarantine for up to eight days upon arrival.

Other videos showed people hugging emotionally upon reuniting at the airport gate.

At Hong Kongs Lok Ma Chau checkpoint, a driver who only gave his surname Yip, said he was among those who could not wait to travel to the mainland.

Its been three years, we have no time to delay, he said. REUTERS More On This Topic Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg discourage travel to Covid-hit China Business missions, leisure travel between Singapore and China poised to restart as curbs ease Related Stories Kraken coronavirus subvariant: Why it is causing concern All around the world, Covid-19 surveillance is faltering We may be entering Covid-19s least predictable year yet Will a China Covid-19 wave set back endemic living in Singapore? Covid-19 variants in China also detected in Malaysia How bad is Chinas Covid-19 outbreak? Its a scientific guessing game As Covid-19 continues to spread, so does misinformation about it Covid-19s true death toll still elusive, three years on Long Covid remains a mystery, though theories are emerging Covid-19's harmful effects on the brain reverberate years later: Study