People queue at the Lok Ma Chau Control Point in Hong Kong before traveling to neighboring Shenzhen, south China, Jan 8, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

HONG KONG – The Immigration Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government said on Monday that it was making preparations for the 11 million travelers that are expected to pass through its land, sea, and air control points during the upcoming Easter and Ching Ming holidays.

The department said in a statement that it wanted to ensure a smooth flow of passenger traffic as around 9.5 million passengers will pass through its land boundary control points, with around 610,000 travelers expected on Good Friday (March 29) and 589,000 on Easter Monday (April 1).

The ImmD said that passenger traffic at the Lo Wu Control Point, the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Point and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai- Macao Bridge Control Point will be heavy, with a daily average forecast of about 207,000, 169,000 and 143,000 passengers, respectively

The ImmD said that passenger traffic at the Lo Wu Control Point, the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Point and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai- Macao Bridge Control Point will be heavy, with a daily average forecast of about 207,000, 169,000 and 143,000 passengers, respectively.

To cope with the anticipated heavy traffic, the department said it has minimized leave for frontline officers for the flexible deployment and the operation of extra clearance counters and kiosks.

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Additional security guards will also be deployed to provide crowd management support while the ImmD, the Hong Kong Police Force, the Customs and Excise Department and the MTR Corporation Ltd will set up a joint command center at the Lo Wu Control Point.

The department said it will also establish close communication with Chinese mainland authorities, such as the Shenzhen General Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection.

Passengers may also check the estimated waiting times at each land boundary control point via the Immigration Mobile Application (ImmD Mobile App).

The ImmD said about 700 e-Channels have been installed at various control points while the Contactless e-Channel service is also available.

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Eligible Hong Kong residents, after enrolment, can generate an encrypted QR code through the Contactless e-Channel mobile application to enter the e-Channel, and then verify their identity with the facial verification technology for automated immigration clearance.

All control points have introduced self-service departures for visitors to Hong Kong which provides greater travel convenience.