Hong Kong to send ‘thousands of officers’ to checkpoints along mainland Chinese border ahead of shift towards freer travel

Government sources say relevant departments preparing to test all customs checkpoint clearance systems, including those at high-speed rail terminus
Beijing eager to fully reopen border from early next month to revive both Hong Kong and mainland economies, source with knowledge on matter says

Thousands of customs, immigration and police officers will be sent to land checkpoints to manage predicted surge in traffic as the border between Hong Kong and mainland China is expected to fully reopen next month, the Post has learned.

A government source on Thursday said the relevant departments were preparing to test all customs checkpoint clearance systems at the city’s high-speed rail that extends into Guangdong province and along other sections of the border as authorities needed weeks to prepare for the relaxed rules.

Another insider said the city’s rail operator was gearing up to resume the service by performing frequent drills.

“Despite that most of the border checkpoints have been closed, their operations have remained normal during the past three years with staff working there to provide regular security, checks and maintenance,” the insider said.

“For the high-speed rail and other cross-border rail services, there has been a minimum rail service to transport the mainland staff to and from the mainland. To reopen its services, the MTR Corporation only needs to redeploy its staff again for the rail borders.”

Most of Hong Kong’s border checkpoints have been closed since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020, including those at Lok Ma Chau, Heung Yuen Wai and the West Kowloon high-speed rail terminus.

Under the current restrictions, travellers can enter the mainland from Hong Kong using the city’s airport, as well as the control points at Shenzhen Bay and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge.

Sources previously told the Post that the city was set to fully reopen its borders with the mainland and resume the high-speed train service to Guangdong from early next month.

The expected reopening follows the government’s decision to roll back anti-epidemic restrictions, such as easing entry rules for arrivals and no longer relying on the “Leave Home Safe” risk-exposure app, despite a significant increase recently in Hong Kong’s virus caseloads.

Thursday marked the highest number of daily cases since March 18, with health officials reporting 17,080 infections, 831 of which were imported, and 19 additional deaths.

The city’s overall tally stands at 2,307,397 cases and 11,075 related fatalities.