Starry Lee Wai-king hosts a sharing session at the headquarters of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong in North Point on March 16, 2023. (ANDY CHONG / CHINA DAILY)

Hong Kong’s 36 deputies to the National People’s Congress (NPC) signed a joint letter seeking to abolish the mandatory requirement for travelers commuting between Hong Kong and the mainland to present their health code, which contains their travel and health information.

This would facilitate easier entry and exit for Hong Kong residents and travelers from other countries and regions, said the deputies.

260,000 elderly residents over the age of 65 in Hong Kong don’t use smartphones and find it challenging to generate the declaration codes. It also mentioned that unstable internet services at the checkpoint have added to the inconvenience of generating the QR codes

The petition was submitted by Starry Lee Wai-king, a member of the Standing Committee of the NPC, at the 4th meeting of the NPCSC in Beijing on Tuesday, she revealed in a social media post.

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The letter mentioned the inconvenience caused to travelers when they are required to present their health code when traveling between Hong Kong and the mainland. It stated that 260,000 elderly residents over the age of 65 in Hong Kong don’t use smartphones and find it challenging to generate the declaration codes. It also mentioned that unstable internet services at the checkpoint have added to the inconvenience generating the QR codes. 

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Currently, the declaration code arrangement still follows the 2020 version of the nation’s border health quarantine law and its implementation rules. 

As the nation has now downgraded the management of the COVID-19 pandemic from Class A to Class B, customs officers should no longer be required to follow infectious disease management measures for incoming personnel or goods, the letter reads.

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Lee hopes that relevant departments in the mainland will consider abolishing the declaration code arrangement, and make customs clearance procedures more convenient. She also cited her recent visit to Macao, saying that local customs clearance procedures there were smooth and efficient. 

Mike Wong contributed to the story