Hong Kong: the city is preparing to reopen its borders with China
Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, with Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee during a meeting in Beijing on Friday, December 23, 2022. © Li Tao / AP
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From January 8, China must lift its drastic quarantine measures for visitors to its territory.
After the announcement, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee said trade between Hong Kong and mainland China would resume "
before mid-January
" as tourism struggles to organize for reopening borders.
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If it is urgent for the economy of the special administrative region of Hong Kong to resume trade with China, the recent announcement of opening up to the world in the midst of an epidemic raises
some concerns
.
As local Chief Executive John Lee said, the Hong Kong government wants to reopen borders with mainland China from January 15.
Confident, he assured that the authorities were prepared for the lifting of the restrictions still in force, for example abandoning the vaccination pass or the presentation of a negative PCR test on arrival.
"
The city has reached a relatively high rate of vaccination coverage, allowing us to erect a barrier against the epidemic
", declared John Lee during a press briefing, during which he however specified that the wearing of the mask would remain obligatory.
"
Hong Kong has enough drugs to fight Covid-19
and health workers have gained experience in dealing with the pandemic
," he added.
However, the reopening of borders has triggered a commotion in a large number of sectors in Hong Kong, where Chinese tourists held a colossal weight in the retail trade before the Covid-19 period.
The customs service is preparing to reopen its various border posts, most of which had been closed, as well as the fast train station connected to the Chinese network.
► To read also: China torn between openness and resurgence of the Covid-19 epidemic
Lack of labor in tourism
Slight movement of panic also among tourist coach operators, who lack drivers and whose fleet is no longer operational after a three-year hibernation, explains our correspondent in Hong Kong,
Florence de Changy
.
Local airline Cathay Pacific needs 700 pilots to meet the huge demand for flights to China.
There is also a severe shortage of labor in the hotel and restaurant sector, especially as more than 200,000 people have left Hong Kong since 2020.
This announcement of the reopening of the borders, expected for months, falls while in China as in Hong Kong the
number of cases has been soaring
for several weeks.
The wait in the emergency rooms of several Hong Kong hospitals was eight hours on Boxing Day, and stocks of paracetamol have run out.
► To listen also: Covid-19 in China: “It is difficult to estimate the gravity of the situation”, warns Jean-Pierre Cabestan
(
And with
AFP)
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