People wearing facemasks as a preventative measure following a coronavirus outbreak walk at Shenzhen Bay Port Hong Kong Port Area on Feb 8, 2020. (PHILIP FONG / AFP)

HONG KONG – A scheme that allows non-Hong Kong residents from Guangdong province and Macao to enter the city quarantine-free will be open for application starting from Wednesday.

Under the Come2hk travel scheme, non-Hong Kong residents who fulfill specified conditions will be exempted from compulsory quarantine when they come to Hong Kong from Guangdong and Macao.

In order to be exempted from the compulsory quarantine requirement upon arrival in the city, applicants must present valid proof of a negative nucleic acid test result that is obtained within three days prior to or on the day of entry into Hong Kong

A daily quota of 1,000 each has been set for the Shenzhen Bay Port and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Hong Kong Port, a Hong Kong government spokesman said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

The online booking system will be open for applicants starting from Wednesday and quotas will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

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“Quotas for the next cycle will be open for booking every Wednesday at 00:00 midnight,” the spokesman added.

Each applicant can apply for the quota with a maximum of three accompanying non-Hong Kong residents.

Applicants have to fill in their name, gender, date of birth, valid travel document number for entry into Hong Kong, a mobile phone number that can receive SMS in the mainland or Macao during the application process. They also have to specify their entry date and boundary control point.

In order to be exempted from the compulsory quarantine requirement upon arrival in the city, applicants must present valid proof of a negative nucleic acid test result that is obtained within three days prior to or on the day of entry into Hong Kong.

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"Non-Hong Kong residents who come to Hong Kong under the scheme are reminded that they would still be subject to Guangdong or Macao's quarantine arrangements when they leave for the two places," the spokesman added.