The following article about HK transits was posted by brunos in the CX forum:

https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/...orarily-resume

The reported new policy only applies to students leaving China via HK, which is something all of us can do anyway (reverse is not permitted), but perhaps it represents another chink the armor.

EU nationals holding valid residence permits for China are allowed to apply for a free visa to enter china now.

Yes. See posts 274-279.

Brief update on my return to Shenzhen from Hong Kong and what happened to my Residence Permit.

After I got my M Visa from the Visa for China office in HK I headed to Shenzhen Bay checkpoint in a taxi, left HK, and joined a queue of approximately 350 people to re-enter China. It took 3.5 hours of multiple queues before I was in the holding pen waiting for the bus to take me to my quarantine hotel. There were numerous additional forms to fill in. Largely the kind of photocopied forms that are popular here when they want to generate paperwork. Everything was exclusively in Chinese so I just maintained my position in the queue, smiled a lot, looked helpless, and they filled them in for me as and when required. Almost everyone else appeared to be a returning mainlander and I only saw one other person being treated differently. End to end, everyone was helpful through this process. I find smiling makes up somewhat for my absence of Chinese skills.

I was prepared, and requested a quarantine hotel in Futian which turned out to be the Vienna Hotel Shenzhen Fuhua when it was obvious what they were asking. I could see my apartment from my bedroom window. Upon arrival, nobody spoke English and there were numerous additional forms that they had to complete for me. I was able to apply to spend the second week at home so I did. I could order what I liked to eat on Meituan and it was brought to the room. I had one throat swab that night. Then a blood test and throat swab on day 6 before I was taken to my apartment on day 8. Strict instructions to stay in but I could order what I liked and have it delivered as normal and there was no other monitoring during this period apart from a Wechat app where I submitted my temperature and location twice a day. On day 13 I was given instructions to go outside to a nearby car park and have a final throat swab test. I enjoyed my brief walk in the open air.

On the Thursday morning, the community officer and a doctor came to my apartment to give me my release papers with the important "chop" and I was free.

Immediately, I got my company's visa office to clarify the status of my Residence Permit. It had not been visibily cancelled and when I asked the HK Visa for China office they said it was merely suspended so I didn't need to apply for a new one. I wanted this data from official sources in Shenzhen. Just today, the entry-exit police office confirmed that the Residence Permit was not cancelled when HK issued the single-entry M visa and therefore I do not need to apply for a new one. We have this direct from the local government source now.

Hopefully, the HK-SZ-Macau travel bubble will open soon and I'll have choices of places to go at the weekend but, in the meantime, I am enjoying ordering a backlog of stuff from jd.com, my groceries on Hema, and my food from Meituan at about 1/3 to 1/2 the cost of ordering it in HK. Until you've spent six months stranded in HK, you forget quite how cheap the cost of living is in China even in a supposed expensive city like Shenzhen.

Just got a notification on my wechat feed that foreigners holding residence permits are now allowed to enter China without any other visa. Seems those stuck outside will be let back in now. Of course, quarantine is still going to be applied but it seems like a good step towards allowing more foreigners entry to China. Good news for those of us living here who want to visit loved ones outside as well!

This is awesome news! Now I'm trying to figure out if we can go to HK and return without quarantine.

At the present time, HK arrivals from China requires 14 days quarantine. This is in place until the middle of October.

Yes. percysmith advised me of this via WeChat. Rome wasn't built in a day, I suppose, but progress is progress.:)

You’d have to really miss the wonders of Mongkok and Stanley to contemplate going to HK with a 14 day quarantine waiting for you upon your return to the mainland. This is a great policy for people like me and you who likely want to go home for Christmas to see family. I willing to put up with a 2 week quarantine in China if it means I can visit my family in the states but I wouldn’t do it for a weekend at the races in Sha Tin.

MK and Stanley? Nope.
It is the beverage social in Wan Chai.

What is the latest for quarantine in SH? are some being dismissed from hotels early to finish the second week of quarantine at home?

Officially it's 7+7, but some of my peers have been able to cut the first 7 short, and the second 7 is a bit of a nothing burger, as long as you don't go places that require green health codes.

We remain fond of Cantina Agave. After that, some people move on to dark side venues.:D

I heard Agave was closing permanently?

This paves the way for the much-talked-about travel bubble between GD-HK-Macau and makes it clear that foreign residents in China will be treated the same as Chinese nationals which is a great clarification.

Imagine if the travel bubble had been announced but there was no clarity on the status of RPs. Well, we can all imagine it. As it is, unsuspending our RPs for the purpose of immigration is a welcome first step so that any loosening of travel restrictions/quarantine requirements will also apply to us.

In theory, then, we can go to Macau from Shenzhen. I'll look forward to the first reports from foreigners with RPs who have successfully executed this manouver both ways for a weekend break.

Agave in Hong Kong on Lockhart has limited their opening due to government ordinance.
They are not officially fully opened until last weekend with 2/table. I have not heard any permanent closing rumours.