China reopens borders in final farewell to zero-Covid

Workers wearing face masks walk by as travelers wait at the departure hall of the Lok Ma Chau station following the reopening of crossing border with mainland China, in Hong Kong, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023. Travellers crossing between Hong Kong and mainland China, however, are still required to show a negative Covid-19 test taken within the last 48 hours, a measure China has protested when imposed by other countries. - AP

HONG KONG/SHANGHAI, Jan 8 (Reuters): Travellers began streaming across land and sea crossings from Hong Kong to mainland China on Sunday, many eager for long-awaited reunions, as Beijing opened borders that have been all but shut since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

After three years, the mainland is opening its border with Hong Kong and ending a requirement for incoming travellers to quarantine, dismantling a final pillar of a zero-COVID policy that had shielded China's people from the virus but also cut them off from the rest of the world.