Hong Kong authorities plan to extend opening hours at the border due to heavy night traffic

The head of Hong Kong’s immigration service has said that the authorities may consider extending the opening hours of the city’s border checkpoints during periods of high night traffic.

Immigration director Benson Kwok Jun-foon said on Saturday that border traffic has continued to increase since the pandemic, almost reaching pre-Covid-19 levels.

Hong Kong recorded 1.2 million inbound and outbound trips using all the city’s checkpoints on Aug. 25, surpassing the daily record of 1.19 million set in 2017, he said.

“We have already reduced the number of employees who go on vacation during the peak season. We will also deploy some manpower to help offer more efficient services,” he said on the television program.

When asked if the Immigration Department would consider extending the opening hours at checkpoints to handle heavy traffic, Kwok said such a decision would require cooperation from various parties.

“It will involve various government departments and some organizations, as well as relevant units in mainland China,” he said. “If we really extend the hours, but the traffic is very low, resources will be wasted.”

But the immigration service promised to monitor the situation.