Beijing: A number of travelers began arriving in China by land and sea from Hong Kong on Sunday, January 8, 2023. Many of them want to see their families soon, which can now be realized after China opened its border with Hong Kong after three years of closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mainland China has finally opened its borders and lifted quarantine requirements for everyone coming from Hong Kong. This repeal is the final part of the "Zero-Covid" policy that once made China completely closed off from the outside world.
China lifted its "Zero-Covid" policy last month, following a wave of protests denouncing various Covid-19 restrictions. The repeal of the policy was welcomed, although it triggered a surge in daily cases of Covid-19, especially among the elderly.
"I'm very happy. I haven't seen my parents in a long time," said a Hong Kong resident named Teresa Chow, shortly before she and a number of other travelers were about to cross into China from the Lok Ma Chau border point.
"My parents are not well, and I couldn't see them before. I am very happy to be able to go home and meet them," he said, launching from The Telegraph Online page.
Investors hope the reopening of China's borders will eventually revive the country's economy, which had experienced its lowest growth in nearly half a century.
The opening of the borders of China and Hong Kong comes after the start of "chun yun," the term for the Lunar New Year homecoming period last Saturday.
This Chinese New Year homecoming is the first to be carried out in China without travel restrictions since the 2020 pandemic era.
Last Friday, China's Transport Ministry estimated that more than 2 billion people would go home for the Lunar New Year in the next 40 days.
Some residents are enthusiastic about welcoming the Chinese New Year homecoming season this year, although there are also a number of people who choose not to return home.