Hong Kong set to fully reopen border with mainland

Chief Secretary John Lee on Thursday said Hong Kong has in principle met the requirements for a full border reopening.

Speaking after holding talks with mainland officials in Shenzhen as head of the Hong Kong delegation, Lee said the SAR was now ready to push ahead with quarantine-free travel with the mainland.

He described the atmosphere of the meeting as positive, and said progress had been made.

According to Lee, mainland experts believe Hong Kong has taken steps towards reopening the border.

And to make that happen, the government will implement a series of measures, including unveiling a health code next week for Hong Kong residents.

“Our preliminary idea is that the LeaveHomeSafe app will be used together with the health code in Hong Kong. Of course, a real-name system will be adopted for the health code in Hong Kong,” he said.

Innovation and technology minister Alfred Sit said the code will be made available early next month, while a task force will be set up to link the systems in Hong Kong and the mainland.

Lee also said there should be a quota for quarantine-free travel during the early days of the border reopening, and a suspension mechanism will be in place should an outbreak occur.

He said the actual date for the full border reopening will be announced in due course, with Hong Kong and mainland officials finalising the details.