SAR must prepare for mainland influx

The news that come January 8, people going to China need not spend time in quarantine cannot be more welcome.

Although the Hong Kong government insists it is still the aim to resume quarantine-free travel from mid-January, Hongkongers can at least look forward to visiting their mainland relatives over the Chinese New Year without the forbidding quarantine procedure.

January 8 will also mark Beijing's momentous step of letting mainlanders travel overseas again, and this is bound to have significant implications for other countries and destinations. As matters stand, most mainlanders have been unable to leave the country during the pandemic and few had anticipated getting the green light so soon.

Perhaps this is how the mainland does business - either being tight or loose to the absolute.

While Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu was still telling Hongkongers that his administration was aiming at resuming quarantine-free travel with the mainland by mid-January, the National Health Commission announced the earth-shaking policy change that may put pressure on SAR officials to quicken the pace of easing.

Undeniably, SAR officials have been slow in the past in bringing the city's policy in line with the international trend.

This time around, it won't be slow to meet the mid-January target, although this will be a week later than January 8.

This won't be too much a delay. Rather, what matters the most is that the SAR is well-equipped to cope with what could turn out to be a wave of mainlanders coming here in large numbers for all kinds of reasons.

Some may just come here to see their relatives. Many may travel south for mRNA vaccines and medicines that are unavailable in the mainland. In light of the explosive surge of Covid cases in Beijing and across the country, some may come here merely to stay away from the escalating pandemic at home.

These are all legitimate reasons and Hong Kong needs to be prepared for this influx.

As said in this column before, border checkpoints will have to be properly staffed so as to avoid chaos. Most checkpoints have been closed for almost three years and proper arrangement must be made to maintain the order at those crossings.

The key words are that it should be gradual, steady and orderly.

At the same time, the local healthcare system must not be overwhelmed as a result of a large number of mainlanders coming south.

In light of reports of Covid variants causing serious illness in the mainland, some countries are planning to reimpose PCR tests at their airports for mainlanders. For example, mainlanders arriving in Milan are being asked to receive PCR tests on arrival.

The tightened protocol will help Europe discover new variants after Beijing reportedly refused to share with them information of strains now prevalent in certain parts of the mainland.

Having come a long way in the epic battle against the virus, Hong Kong has reached a critical stage towards resuming normal life.

At this stage, easing steadily amid caution is vital.