A Government spokesman said today (April 28) that the operating hours of passenger clearance services at the Shenzhen Bay Control Point (SBCP) will be adjusted to 10am - 10pm daily with effect from April 29 (Thursday) until further notice.
 
     In view of the epidemic's development, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government has, since January 30, 2020, suspended passenger clearance services at 12 land-based and sea-based control points by phases with a view to reducing cross-boundary people flow and the risk of spreading the virus. For land-based control points, only the SBCP and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Hong Kong Port are still providing passenger clearance services at present. In addition, since April 2020 till now, the operating hours of passenger clearance services at the SBCP have been temporarily adjusted from 6.30am - 0.00am daily to 10am - 8pm daily.
 
     The spokesman said having regard to the latest epidemic development in the Mainland and the HKSAR, and to tie in with the extension of the Return2hk Scheme (scope of which to be extended from covering only Hong Kong residents returning from Guangdong Province or Macao to also those from other places in the Mainland) from April 29, the HKSAR Government and the Shenzhen Municipal Government have, after deliberation, agreed to adjust the operating hours of passenger clearance services at the SBCP to 10am - 10pm daily. It aims to enable cross-boundary travellers with genuine needs to travel (e.g. for business purpose or for visiting relatives, etc) without posing an additional health risk to the two places. It is also a step towards the resumption of cross-boundary people flow between the two places in a gradual and orderly manner.
 
     The spokesman added that the cargo clearance operating hours at the SBCP have been extended to 24 hours with effect from December 10, 2020.
 
     The HKSAR Government and the Shenzhen Municipal Government will continue to closely monitor the epidemic development and the needs of travellers with a view to resuming the operating hours of passenger clearance at the SBCP in an orderly manner.

Ends/Wednesday, April 28, 2021
Issued at HKT 10:00

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