What’s new: Hong Kong and Macao have begun talking about easing travel restrictions for each other’s residents after the former British colony reported zero local Covid-19 cases for 14 straight days.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said at a press briefing Monday that the two cities have initiated discussions on plans to exempt travelers from mandatory quarantine, provided they are fully vaccinated and can provide a negative result from a nucleic acid test.
To prevent crowds from building up at border crossings, both cities are considering setting a daily quota for the number of travelers.
The Hong Kong government will submit policy proposals to Beijing for reopening the border with the Chinese mainland, Lam said. The city is also considering taking back up a suspended plan to exempt mainland travelers from mandatory quarantine, but only once the outbreak in neighboring Guangdong province subsides.
The background: Lam’s announcement came just as the city reported no new local Covid-19 cases for two straight weeks. Since June 8, the only confirmed cases reported in Hong Kong came in from outside the city.
Around 1.94 million Hong Kong residents have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. That amounts to 28.4% of the eligible population. Of those, 1.28 million people have been fully vaccinated.
Contact reporter Cai Xuejiao (xuejiaocai@caixin.com) and editor Michael Bellart (michaelbellart@caixin.com)
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