The Chinese have the term "New Year Pass", which refers to the settlement of financial debts towards the end of the lunar calendar.
As far as the government is concerned, although there are no financial difficulties towards the end of the New Year, it is faced with the "New Year Pass" of how to help citizens return to the mainland for the New Year.
As the Lunar New Year approaches, more and more people go north to return home for the New Year.
Take last year as an example. Since returning to Shenzhen to pass customs at that time, they had to undergo a total of 21 days of quarantine measures. Many citizens mentioned that they would pass the customs to the mainland within one month or even two months.
At the beginning of December last year, the flow of people to the mainland had increased to more than 3,000 in a single day, and by the end of the month, the number had rebounded again, approaching 3,000.
Less than a month before the Lunar New Year, the Guangdong Provincial Government even diverted those who came to the mainland through the Shenzhen Bay Port to other cities for isolation to ease the pressure in Shenzhen.
The late crowds that can be deployed early
The Lunar New Year’s Day of the coming year will be February 1. Taking into account the quarantine on the 21st, the number of people passing through Shenzhen has naturally increased in recent days.
"Hong Kong 01" reported that on Sunday (26th) the queues at the Shenzhen Bay Port Entry Control Zone were flooded to the Hong Kong Exit Control Zone because it was expected that they would have to wait at least four or five hours to pass the border, and many people needed to sit on the ground.
In fact, this is no longer the Lunar New Year under the first epidemic. Last year’s experience has shown the increase in the flow of people, and the governments of the two places can make arrangements as soon as possible.
However, inland ports may always be under-staffed for border control applications. A large number of citizens-especially the elderly-have to suffer at the border. It is no wonder that there are people present who are dissatisfied with the insufficient response of Shenzhen border defense and government departments.
Of course, the Hong Kong Immigration Department and relevant departments should also strengthen coordination with the Mainland for the flow of people entering and exiting the country before and after the Lunar New Year.
Hong Kong has a close relationship with the Mainland and frequent population movements.
Even at times other than the New Year's Eve, many people still need to travel between the two places to work and visit relatives. Early customs clearance is always a fundamental need.
Chief Secretary for Administration Li Jiachao has led many delegations to Shenzhen to discuss customs clearance with the mainland. Earlier this month, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor also stated that he hopes to announce the good news of customs clearance as soon as possible, and society has long waited for it.
As the Legislative Council election has passed and the New Year is approaching, the citizens' "hard food" quarantine on the 21st also set off to pass the border, which is really helpless.
Why the delay in customs clearance?
The good news for customs clearance has not yet arrived, and it is believed to be related to the mutant virus.
For example, on Christmas Day, there were 25 new imported cases in Hong Kong, and 162 local cases were recorded in the Mainland the following day.
But even so, the epidemics in the two places are always under control, and epidemic prevention measures and case tracking can help prevent community spread.
At least to a certain extent, the failure of the two places to make it easier for people to pass through is related to the lack of trust.
In the early stage of the epidemic, Hong Kong did not adopt mainland measures, which was a manifestation of the "two systems".
However, Hong Kong and the Mainland are closely related and cannot always be separated by the flow of people.
After roughly grasping the epidemic situation and epidemic prevention methods, society needs to pass customs, which reflects "one country."
Nearly two years have passed since the epidemic has been able to coordinate customs clearance, and the recent customs clearance has not been smooth, perhaps also confirming that the communication and coordination between Hong Kong and the mainland authorities have not been in place.
In fact, this is not only the case for epidemic prevention measures, but also other policies and developments, such as the gap or dislocation in the development of the Greater Bay Area.
How to coordinate the "one country" while maintaining the uniqueness of the "two systems" is indeed an important lesson for Hong Kong.
Closed-loop quarantine for crew members can no longer delay the allocation of customs clearance quotas. We should strive for fair customs clearance. The last mile circuit breaker mechanism is the key.
