The number of passengers crossing the boundary to and from Hong Kong and Macao via Zhuhai checkpoints increased by 9.2 percent year-on-year to 1.77 million during the recent Labor Day holiday, which fell from April 30 to May 4.

Citywide checkpoints inspected 59,500 border-crossing vehicles and ships from cities including Zhuhai, Zhongshan, Jiangmen, Zhanjiang, and Maoming during this period, which was a similar number to last year's May Day holiday period.

Passengers line up to go through customs inspection at Gongbei Checkpoint [Photo by Cheng Lin, Zhang Ziheng and Gong Yarong / Zhuhai Daily]

The number of Macao-bound passengers has kept rising since April 25 as COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control measures were relaxed. Visitors just have to present a negative nucleic acid test report obtained within 72 hours.

Despite the rainy weather, Gongbei Checkpoint processed more than 1.3 million border crossers during the five-day holiday, making it the most popular choice among travelers. Qingmao Checkpoint, which has just begun operation in November 2021 in Gongbei's Maoshengwei, recorded an average daily passenger flow of over 30,000 during the holiday. 

Measures like passenger diversion during peak hours were carried out to shorten waiting time for customs clearance.