Hong Kong-Macau health code delayed

Hong Kong’s chief executive has said government officials need more time to evaluate the system given the recent spike in Covid-19 cases.

Hong Kong.- Hong Kong officials have once more delayed the implementation of a “health code” system to allow people to travel between the city and Macau without 14-day mandatory quarantine.

The health code has been in the pipeline since June, and recent reports confirm negotiations between the two Chinese Special Administrative Regions (SAR) are ongoing although Hong Kong extended the compulsory quarantine for Macau residents until August 7.

The aim is to allow people without Covid-19 symptoms to travel freely between the Chinese province of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau, which would likely mean a boost for the tourism and gaming industries in Macau.

But Hong Kong’s chief executive, Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, has said through her social media profiles that given the rise of Covid-positive cases in Hong Kong, local authorities need more time to review the health code.

Guangdong and Macau have already established a mutual system for business travellers and people with special needs to travel if they show no symptoms. The system allows for 3,000 travellers a day to sign up and enter nine neighbouring cities such as Zhuhai.