Travel between China, Hong Kong and Macau to fully resume from February 6

Cross border travel between China, Hong Kong and Macau is set to fully resume from February 6, Beijing said on Friday. The country has now dropped existing quotas and scrapped a mandatory COVID-19 test that was required before travelling.

Group tours between China and the two special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau will resume. Further, the number of customs checkpoints open will also return to pre-pandemic levels, China's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office said in a statement on its website.

Notably, after China reopened its borders on January 8, scrapping most Covid-19 curbs, for international travellers, a quota system and Covid-19 testing requirement remained in place for travellers between the mainland and Hong Kong.

The three border checkpoints will reopen from February 6, Hong Kong's leader John Lee said at a press conference on Friday.

Lee also informed that Covid-19 vaccination will no longer be a requirement to enter Hong Kong for all arrivals, including non-Hong Kong residents.

Following China's announcement, searches on Chinese travel website Qunar for round trip air tickets to and from Hong Kong and the mainland increased seven-fold, data from state media China Transportation News showed.

Earlier, Hong Kong launched a promotion campaign under which it is giving away 500,000 free flights to attract visitors, businesses and investors to the financial hub.

Hong Kong had been cut off from the world for the past three years in a bid to keep a lid on Covid-19. Its measures included mandatory quarantine of up to three weeks for people arriving as well as intensive testing and screening.

Hong Kong walked in Beijing's footsteps and followed its zero-COVID policy until the middle of 2022.

Hong Kong dropped most of its remaining COVID rules in December, but mask-wearing remains mandatory, barring during certain activities, such as exercising. Students are also required to take daily rapid antigen tests.

(With inputs from agencies)

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