FTU calls for some compassion over cross-border trips

The Federation of Trade Unions (FTU) has called on the government to reserve half of the future quarantine-free mainland travel quota for those who want to cross the border on compassionate grounds.

The FTU said during a press conference on Friday that some workers in Hong Kong have been separated from their families living across the border for too long, while others need to visit relatives who are seriously ill.

A cross-border truck driver who sought help from the federation said she very much hopes she can reunite with her young daughters living in Shenzhen once quarantine-free travel gets underway.

“I drive past my home every day and see the light through the window… [but] I can’t go home. I feel so bad,” she said.

“I started living in a quarantine hotel when my twin girls were two years and three months old. Now they are three and a half years old. They have gradually developed emotional issues.”

The FTU’s Tsang Chi-man echoed Chief Executive Carrie Lam’s views that it would not be feasible to use a points-based system to determine who gets to travel without quarantining, but said the Social Welfare Department could help decide.

“[Those who wish to] visit an ailing relative or attend a funeral can’t wait. We believe this should be a consensus,” she said.

Other people, Tsang said, could submit proof of their urgent need to cross the border for the authorities to consider their applications.