Huanggang busy on first long weekend travel rush

Secretary for Security Chris Tang on Sunday said authorities have stepped up on-site management at the Huanggang port to cope with higher passenger traffic. This came as the redeveloped port saw crowds at its departure hall heading into its first travel peak – the long Chung Yeung Festival weekend. According to the Security Bureau's information platform "Easy Boundary", the checkpoint's departure hall became especially busy at around 2pm, with the waiting time reaching 30 minutes for Hong Kong residents and 45 minutes for visitors. It returned to normal at around 3.30pm with an average waiting time of five minutes. Writing on his social media page, Tang said the port had seen an "obvious" rise in passenger traffic. He called on cross-border travellers to follow the instructions of on-site staff members and register for the automated channels in advance for faster crossings. Tang added that people should plan their trip early and avoid crossing the border during peak hours. The Immigration Department, for its part, said outbound passenger traffic was heavy between 10am and 2pm on Sunday, with departures topping 30,000. The department said it had deployed extra manpower and opened all clearance channels and counters to cope with the crowds. Edited by Edmond Fong