China to Fully Reopen Borders with Hong Kong, Macau

(FILE PHOTO) A general view of village houses at Hong Kong border facing the skyscrapers in Shenzhen, in Hong Kong, China. (REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo)
(FILE PHOTO) A general view of village houses at Hong Kong border facing the skyscrapers in Shenzhen, in Hong Kong, China. (REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo)
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China to Fully Reopen Borders with Hong Kong, Macau

(FILE PHOTO) A general view of village houses at Hong Kong border facing the skyscrapers in Shenzhen, in Hong Kong, China. (REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo)
(FILE PHOTO) A general view of village houses at Hong Kong border facing the skyscrapers in Shenzhen, in Hong Kong, China. (REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo)

China said on Friday it will fully restore travel across its borders with Hong Kong and Macau next week, dropping Covid testing requirements and daily quotas after a lengthy pandemic separation.

The semi-autonomous cities have both stuck to Beijing's zero-Covid strategy for nearly three years, splitting families, cutting off tourism and suffocating businesses.

The State Council's Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office said on Friday that all remaining restrictions would be dropped starting midnight on February 6, with group tours allowed to resume.

Limited travel across the border between Hong Kong and mainland China resumed in January after Beijing abruptly axed its isolationist policy.

Initially, only 60,000 people were allowed to cross each day in either direction and they were required to show a negative PCR test.

Hong Kong leader John Lee said on Friday that the partial reopening had been "orderly, safe and smooth".

Hong Kong's lengthy separation from its biggest source of growth inflicted a heavy toll, with some estimating it cost the financial hub $27 billion, AFP said.

Mainlanders have long made up the vast majority of visitors to Hong Kong, with around 51 million arriving in 2018, nearly seven times the city's population.

City officials are hoping an influx of visitors will revitalize the recession-hit economy, injecting cash into the once-vibrant tourism and retail sectors.

Unvaccinated overseas travelers will be allowed to visit Hong Kong starting Monday, but Lee said pre-arrival rapid antigen tests will still be required.

"As the full reopening of the border with mainland China will bring a large surge in travel, to ensure risks are manageable we will keep the testing requirement for overseas travelers for a period of observation," he said.

The full relaunch of travel with the mainland comes a day after Lee rolled out a rebranding campaign to woo overseas tourists, pledging more than half a million free flights and "no isolation, no quarantine and no restrictions".

Outdoor masking remains compulsory in Hong Kong, though Lee has said the policy could be scrapped after the winter flu surge.



54 Migrants Rescued from Mediterranean Oil Platform

FILED - 31 May 2025, France, Gravelines: A group of people thought to be migrants onboard a small boat leaving the beach at Gravelines, France, attempting to reach the UK by crossing the English Channel. Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire/dpa
FILED - 31 May 2025, France, Gravelines: A group of people thought to be migrants onboard a small boat leaving the beach at Gravelines, France, attempting to reach the UK by crossing the English Channel. Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire/dpa
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54 Migrants Rescued from Mediterranean Oil Platform

FILED - 31 May 2025, France, Gravelines: A group of people thought to be migrants onboard a small boat leaving the beach at Gravelines, France, attempting to reach the UK by crossing the English Channel. Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire/dpa
FILED - 31 May 2025, France, Gravelines: A group of people thought to be migrants onboard a small boat leaving the beach at Gravelines, France, attempting to reach the UK by crossing the English Channel. Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire/dpa

Over 50 migrants were headed to the Italian island of Lampedusa Sunday after a charity ship rescued them from an abandoned oil platform in the Mediterranean, where one woman gave birth.

The vessel Astral, operated by the Spain-based NGO Open Arms, rescued the 54 people overnight, the group said in a statement.

The migrants had been trapped on the oil platform for three days after their rubber boat shipwrecked following their departure from Libya on Tuesday, Open Arms said.

On Friday, one of the migrants gave birth to a boy, while another woman had given birth days before. Two other young children were among the group, Open Arms said, according to AFP.

Later Sunday, the charity said that, following the rescue of those on the oil platform, the Astral came upon another 109 people, including four people in the water.

That group, which included 10 children, had also departed from Libya, it said.
Open Arms said they provided life jackets to the migrants before they were rescued by another charity ship, the Louise Michel, which is sponsored by street artist Banksy.

The Louise Michel, a former French navy vessel, was transporting the migrants to a safe port in Sicily, Open Arms said.

It is not unusual for migrants crossing the Mediterranean on leaky and overcrowded boats to seek refuge on offshore oil platforms.

As of June 1, some 23,000 migrants had reached Italy by sea this year, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).