China resumes high-speed rail connection with Hong Kong

China resumed high-speed rail services between Hong Kong and the mainland on Sunday for the first time since the start of the covid-19 pandemicwhile dismantling travel restrictions after Beijing lifted the quarantine for arrivals a week earlier.

The reopening comes amid a massive surge of infections across the country and a day after authorities declared nearly 60,000 people with Covid-19 they had died in hospitals after last month’s abrupt turn in the “zero COVID” policy in the wake of historic protests.

Despite the infections, some passengers expressed excitement and relief that they could more easily return to their home cities in time for the upcoming Lunar New Year.

Increased travel ahead of the celebrations that begin on January 21, when hundreds of millions of people return home from cities to small towns and rural areas, has fueled concerns about the possibility of more infections.

Saturday’s updated death toll was a huge increase from previous numbers, following global criticism of coronavirus data from China. The World Health Organization welcomed the move, although it demanded more detailed data.

The figure remains below the predictions of international health experts, who have said China could record more than a million Covid-19-related deaths this year.

In another sign of reviving transport links, Saturday’s visitors to Macau’s gaming hub topped 55,000, the highest number of daily arrivals since the pandemic began, the government reported on its website.

The data, in line with the trend of increasing daily visitor numbers, promises a boost to the tourism-focused economy.

kg