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)
TT
20

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.



Tehran Hints 360 Soldiers Killed in 12-Day War with Israel

People attend the funeral procession of Iranian military commanders, nuclear scientists and others killed in Israeli strikes, in Tehran (Reuters) 
People attend the funeral procession of Iranian military commanders, nuclear scientists and others killed in Israeli strikes, in Tehran (Reuters) 
TT
20

Tehran Hints 360 Soldiers Killed in 12-Day War with Israel

People attend the funeral procession of Iranian military commanders, nuclear scientists and others killed in Israeli strikes, in Tehran (Reuters) 
People attend the funeral procession of Iranian military commanders, nuclear scientists and others killed in Israeli strikes, in Tehran (Reuters) 

Iranian Health Minister Mohammad-Reza Zafarghandi on Wednesday said close to 700 civilians were killed in Israeli attacks on Iran during the 12-day war that started on June 13.

His statements came two days after Saeed Ohadi, head of Iran’s Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs said the attacks killed over 1060 Iranians, indirectly hinting that at least 360 soldiers have been confirmed dead.

During a visit to a Tehran medical center, Zafarghandi said nearly 5,000 civilians were wounded in the Israeli attacks.

Checking on a 5-year-old Kian Ghasemian - a burn victim whose family was killed in the attacks - Zafarghandi described the Israeli strikes as “a savage and unjustifiable assault on defenseless people.”

The Minister said 18 members of medical staff, including six physicians, were among those killed in the airstrikes.

Zafarghandi noted that seven hospitals were directly targeted by Israel, and a number of medical centers were evacuated due to emergency circumstances.

Also, “Israel also hit 11 ambulances,” he said, adding all those Israeli actions were in violation of international principles, laws and human rights.

The minister’s new figures came shortly after Iran’s government has issued a death toll for its war with Israel, saying at least 1,060 people were killed and warning that the figure could rise.

Ohadi gave the figure in an interview aired by Iranian state television late Monday.

Figures show that around 360 soldiers were killed in the attacks, including 40 high-ranking leaders from the Revolutionary Guard.

During the war, Iran downplayed the effects of Israel’s 12-day bombardment of the country, which decimated its air defenses, destroyed military sites and damaged its nuclear facilities. Since a ceasefire took hold, Iran slowly has been acknowledging the breadth of the destruction, though it still has not said how much military materiel it lost.

The Washington-based Human Rights Activists group, which has provided detailed casualty figures from multiple rounds of unrest in Iran, has said 1,190 people were killed, including 436 civilians and 435 security force members. The attacks wounded another 4,475 people, the group said.