Hong Kong authorities are considering extending border opening hours due to heavy night traffic

Hong Kong’s immigration chief said authorities may consider extending the opening hours of the city’s border checkpoints during periods of heavy night traffic.

Immigration director Benson Kwok Jun Fung said on Saturday that border traffic had continued to rise since the pandemic, almost reaching pre-Covid levels.

Hong Kong recorded 1.2 million inbound and outbound trips using all of 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 going on vacation during the peak season. We will also deploy some manpower to ensure more efficient service,” he said on a television program.

Asked whether the Immigration Department would consider extending opening hours at checkpoints to handle the high volume of 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 do extend hours but traffic is very low, resources will be wasted.”

However, an immigration official promised to keep the situation under control.