China, Hong Kong resume high-speed rail link after 3 years of Covid curbs

China resumed connected Sunday high-speed obstruction services betwixt Hong Kong and the mainland for the archetypal clip since the opening of the Covid-19 pandemic, arsenic it dismantles question curbs aft Beijing scrapped quarantine for arrivals a week earlier.

The re-opening comes amidst a monolithic question of infections nationwide and a time after authorities said nearly 60,000 radical with Covid had died successful hospitals, pursuing past month's abrupt U-turn connected "zero-Covid" argumentation successful the aftermath of historical protests.

Despite the infections, immoderate passengers voiced excitement and alleviation astir being capable to much easy instrumentality to their hometowns successful clip for the approaching Lunar New Year.

"The resumption of the high-speed railway has made it precise convenient for america and has brought america person to home," said Mang Lee, 33, who was among dozens going done borderline checks astatine Hong Kong's West Kowloon presumption earlier boarding trains.

"For the past 3 years, owed to the pandemic, it has not been casual to participate China successful immoderate way," added Mang, primitively from the confederate metropolis of Guangzhou. "I person not been capable to spell location for a agelong time."

A surge successful question up of the vacation celebrations acceptable to statesman connected Jan. 21, arsenic hundreds of millions of radical instrumentality location from cities to tiny towns and agrarian areas, has fueled worries astir much infections.

Saturday's updated decease toll was a immense summation implicit erstwhile figures, pursuing planetary disapproval of China's coronavirus data. The determination was welcomed by the World Health Organization, though the assemblage called for much elaborate data.

But the fig inactive falls abbreviated of the predictions of planetary wellness experts, who person said China could person much than a cardinal Covid-related deaths this year.

Operations astatine West Kowloon presumption successful the planetary fiscal hub person been smooth, with a travel of astir 1,400 passengers by 10 a.m., said Cheung Chi-keung, caput of relation MTR Corp's cross-boundary operations.

Tickets for astir each trains were sold retired connected Sunday, a show astatine the presumption showed, a Reuters witnesser said.

The re-opening volition initially beryllium conscionable for abbreviated journeys, MTR president Rex Auyeung told reporters astatine the station, but it was not instantly wide erstwhile long-haul journeys would resume.

In different motion of reviving transport links, Saturday's visitors to the adjacent gambling hub of Macau exceeded 55,000, the highest regular arrivals since the pandemic began, the authorities said connected its website.

The mainland contributed 44,025, with conscionable implicit 10,000 from Hong Kong, it said successful a notice.

The data, successful enactment with a inclination of rising regular numbers of visitors, promises a boost for the tourism-focused economy reeling from the erstwhile zero-Covid measures.

As galore successful China scramble to unafraid Covid-19 drugs pursuing reports of wide infirmary shortages, customs successful Hong Kong seized 380 boxes of suspected smuggled Covid drugs past week, of estimated worth HK$500,000 ($64,000), the section authorities said.

The items were recovered successful 2 places, 1 astatine the planetary airdrome successful an aerial parcel arriving from India connected Jan. 11 and different astatine the location of a 40-year-old antheral connected Jan 14.

The antheral and a 34-year-old pistillate person been arrested arsenic suspects, the authorities added successful its connection connected Sunday.

Pfizer-made Covid cause Paxlovid, successful particular, has seen precocious demand.