China, Hong Kong scrap cross-border travel quota, COVID test
HONG KONG -
Travel between Hong Kong and China will no longer require COVID-19 PCR tests nor be held to a daily limit, authorities announced Friday, as both places seek to drive economic growth.
Hong Kong's tourism industry has suffered since 2019 after months of political strife that at times turned into violent clashes between protesters and police, as well as harsh entry restrictions implemented during the pandemic.
"From Monday, there will be a full resumption of travel between Hong Kong and the mainland," Hong Kong leader John Lee said Friday at a news briefing.
Lee said quotas for travellers will be scrapped and all boundary checkpoints will reopen next week.
The announcement came a day after Lee unveiled a tourism campaign aimed at attracting travellers to Hong Kong that includes 500,000 free air tickets for tourists to visit the semi-autonomous Chinese city.
China had already eased travel restrictions with Hong Kong on Jan. 8, dropping a mandatory quarantine period required for travellers entering the mainland. However, the number of travellers entering the mainland from Hong Kong via land checkpoints was limited to 50,000 a day.
From Feb. 6, most travellers crossing the border between mainland China and Hong Kong will no longer need to present a negative PCR test for COVID-19 prior to travel. Only those who have travelled overseas within the past seven days would be required to produce their negative PCR result, Hong Kong and Chinese authorities said Friday.
Both Hong Kong and mainland China were among the last holdouts globally to keep entry restrictions including mandatory quarantine periods, even as the rest of the world began reopening their borders in 2022.
Hong Kong -- a business hub reputed as a popular city for tourists -- has seen its tourism industry battered over the past three years.
In spite of China's easing of entry restrictions last month, Hong Kong's tourism industry has a long road to recovery.
In 2022, nearly 605,000 visitors came to Hong Kong -- up sixfold from the year before, but about 90% less than 2019 before the pandemic, which saw 55.9 million arrivals.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada makes amendments to foreign homebuyers ban – here's what they look like
Months after Canada's ban on foreign homebuyers took effect on Jan. 1, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation has made several amendments to the legislation allowing non-Canadians to purchase residential properties in certain circumstances.
Odds and ends: Here are some law changes Liberals plan to put in the budget bill
The 2023 federal budget released this week includes a series of affordability measures, tax changes, and major spends on health care and the clean economy. But, tucked into the 255-page document are a series of smaller items you may have missed.
Victim of Vancouver stabbing had asked man not to vape near toddler, says grieving mom
The family of a 37-year-old man who was stabbed to death in Vancouver last weekend says he was attacked after asking someone not to vape near his young daughter.
BREAKING
BREAKING | RCMP interviewing Canadians held in detention camps in Syria: sources
CTV News has learned that RCMP officers are currently in northeast Syria, interviewing Canadians held in detention camps in order to bring them back to Canada. The three Mounties have so far interviewed only Canadian women in Al-Roj camp.
B.C. parents win battle to put son's Indigenous name on his birth certificate
After 13 months of fighting, the parents of a Campbell River, B.C., boy have received a birth certificate that accurately reflects the spelling of his name.
Man who allegedly killed Quebec police officer had long history of violence, mental health issues: court docs
The man who allegedly killed a Quebec provincial police (SQ) officer on Monday had a long history of violence detailed in court documents. Sgt. Maureen Breau was fatally stabbed while trying to arrest a man on accusations of uttering threats in Louiseville near Trois-Rivieres. Two other officers then shot and killed the man.
Here are the ways the budget impacts you: From grocery bills to small business credit card fees
The federal government unveiled its spring budget Tuesday, with a clean economy as the centrepiece, and detailing targeted measures to help Canadians deal with still-high inflation.
Bank of Canada watching for potential spillovers from global banking stresses
A senior Bank of Canada official says the central bank is keeping a close eye on the stresses to the global banking system ahead of its next interest rate decision and monetary policy report in April.
BREAKING
BREAKING | Pope Francis hospitalized after experiencing breathing difficulties: Vatican
The Vatican says Pope Francis will be hospitalized for several days for treatment of a pulmonary infection after experiencing difficulty breathing in recent days.
Canada
-
Victim of Vancouver stabbing had asked man not to vape near toddler, says grieving mom
The family of a 37-year-old man who was stabbed to death in Vancouver last weekend says he was attacked after asking someone not to vape near his young daughter.
-
Here are the ways the budget impacts you: From grocery bills to small business credit card fees
The federal government unveiled its spring budget Tuesday, with a clean economy as the centrepiece, and detailing targeted measures to help Canadians deal with still-high inflation.
-
Federal funding for flood insurance a 'major step forward': industry
The federal government committed $31.7 million over three years in its latest budget toward a low-cost flood insurance program.
-
Budget aims for a smoother passenger experience, but 'devil is in the details'
The federal government has air travel on its radar after laying out plans in its budget to speed up airport security screening and reduce flight delays.
-
How would you spend Canada's proposed grocery rebate? We want to hear from you
Along with improving access to health care and investing in a clean economy, the 2023 federal budget also includes plans for a one-time 'grocery rebate.' If you're hoping to apply for this rebate, CTVNews.ca wants to hear from you.
-
Man who allegedly killed Quebec police officer had long history of violence, mental health issues: court docs
The man who allegedly killed a Quebec provincial police (SQ) officer on Monday had a long history of violence detailed in court documents. Sgt. Maureen Breau was fatally stabbed while trying to arrest a man on accusations of uttering threats in Louiseville near Trois-Rivieres. Two other officers then shot and killed the man.
World
-
Romanian court upholds ruling denying Andrew Tate's release on bail
Social media personality Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan will remain in police custody pending a criminal investigation into alleged sex trafficking as a Romanian court denied their request to be released on bail on Wednesday.
-
Ukraine's Zelenskyy: Any Russian victory could be perilous
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Tuesday that unless his nation wins a drawn-out battle in a key eastern city, Russia could begin building international support for a deal that could require Ukraine to make unacceptable compromises. He also invited the leader of China, long aligned with Russia, to visit.
-
BREAKING
BREAKING | Pope Francis hospitalized after experiencing breathing difficulties: Vatican
The Vatican says Pope Francis will be hospitalized for several days for treatment of a pulmonary infection after experiencing difficulty breathing in recent days.
-
Long Paris trash strike ends, workers face daunting cleanup
Striking sanitation workers in Paris began returning to work Wednesday, ending one of the most enduring symbols of opposition to French President Emmanuel Macron's unpopular pension bill, as nationwide protests also appeared to be winding down.
-
US backs international court for Russia's war in Ukraine
The Biden administration is offering support for the creation of an international court to prosecute alleged crimes of aggression by Russia against Ukraine.
-
International development groups say budget cut will end Canadian programs abroad
Humanitarian groups are giving Tuesday's federal budget a thumbs down, saying it will create a backslide in progress on fighting disease and hunger abroad.
Politics
-
BREAKING
BREAKING | RCMP interviewing Canadians held in detention camps in Syria: sources
CTV News has learned that RCMP officers are currently in northeast Syria, interviewing Canadians held in detention camps in order to bring them back to Canada. The three Mounties have so far interviewed only Canadian women in Al-Roj camp.
-
Odds and ends: Here are some law changes Liberals plan to put in the budget bill
The 2023 federal budget released this week includes a series of affordability measures, tax changes, and major spends on health care and the clean economy. But, tucked into the 255-page document are a series of smaller items you may have missed.
-
With no end to federal deficits in sight, budget spells dismay for some economists
The federal Liberals' latest budget announced new spending primarily on the clean economy and health care, but even with that relatively tight focus, the federal government is projected to continue running deficits over the next five years.
Health
-
WHO to consider adding obesity drugs to 'essential' medicines list
Drugs that combat obesity are under consideration for the first time for the World Health Organization's 'essential medicines list,' used to guide government purchasing decisions in low- and middle-income countries, the UN agency told Reuters.
-
Pet cats and dogs may help protect infants from food allergies, study suggests
Children who live with cats or dogs during fetal development and early infancy may be less likely than other kids to develop food allergies, according to a new study.
-
New research finds subtle brain changes in pre-symptomatic Alzheimer's patients
A new peer-reviewed study from the Medical University of South Carolina report in Brain Connectivity has found individualized brain fingerprints which can help diagnose early Alzheimer's disease.
Sci-Tech
-
Could Canada soon standardize USB chargers? Feds looking into it, budget says
Tucked into the 2023 federal budget unveiled on Tuesday in Ottawa, the Liberals have announced plans to explore implementing a standard charging port across Canada, in an effort to save Canadians some money and reduce waste.
-
Apple rolls out buy now, pay later service: What to know
Apple is getting into the buy now, pay later space with a few tweaks to the existing model -- including no option to pay with a credit card. The company will roll out the product to some consumers this spring, and will begin reporting the loans to credit bureaus in the fall.
-
Elon Musk and scientists call for halt to AI race sparked by ChatGPT
A group of prominent computer scientists and other tech industry notables such as Elon Musk and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak are calling for a 6-month pause to consider AI's risks on society.
Entertainment
-
Wisconsin school district bans Miley Cyrus-Dolly Parton duet with 'rainbow' in title
Students at Heyer Elementary School in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, were set to perform a 2017 duet by Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton, until school administration asked fors its removal from the concert because its lyrics 'could be deemed controversial.'
-
U.S. Army quickly plans new ads after Jonathan Majors' arrest
The Army is working to quickly pull together some new recruiting ads to air during the NCAA's Final Four basketball games this weekend, after being forced to yank commercials that featured actor Jonathan Majors, in the wake of his arrest last Saturday.
-
Gwyneth Paltrow's ski collision trial continues with defence
Gwyneth Paltrow's attorneys are expected to continue relying mostly on experts to mount their defense on Wednesday, the seventh day of the trial over her 2016 ski collision with a 76-year-old retired optometrist.
Business
-
Canada makes amendments to foreign homebuyers ban – here's what they look like
Months after Canada's ban on foreign homebuyers took effect on Jan. 1, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation has made several amendments to the legislation allowing non-Canadians to purchase residential properties in certain circumstances.
-
Bank of Canada watching for potential spillovers from global banking stresses
A senior Bank of Canada official says the central bank is keeping a close eye on the stresses to the global banking system ahead of its next interest rate decision and monetary policy report in April.
-
Mortgage moves 'good news' for borrowers, but budget lacks housing support: experts
Real estate observers say a new mortgage code of conduct promised in the federal budget will be handy for Canadians facing financial difficulties, but they still feel the economic plan was lacking needed housing affordability measures.
Lifestyle
-
New type of cruise gains in popularity after COVID
A new type of boat tour is gaining popularity for its sustainable approaches to cruises and destination is the goal mentality.
-
Japanese student goes to graduation dressed like Zelenskyy
A Japanese student showed up to graduation as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's lookalike, wearing his signature olive-colored, snug-fit T-shirt and khaki trousers to show his support for Ukraine's fight against Russia.
-
'Using waste material makes sense': Mysterious artist Junko turns trash into giant sculptures
A mysterious, Montreal-based street artist named Junko is generating buzz in Metro Vancouver with futuristic, bug-like sculptures made from old car parts, scrap metal and tossed out shoes.
Sports
-
Indonesia stripped of hosting Under-20 World Cup by FIFA
Indonesia was stripped of hosting the men's Under-20 World Cup on Wednesday amid political turmoil regarding Israel's participation.
-
Canada will face Italy, Sweden and Chile in Davis Cup title defence
Defending champion Canada will face Italy, Sweden and Chile in the group stage of the 2023 Davis Cup men's tennis tournament.
-
What did players learn about MLB's new rules this spring?
Major League Baseball's new rules package is set for its regular-season debut Thursday when all 30 teams play their first game. For many fans, it'll be the first time seeing the sport's sizable list of rules changes, including a pitch clock, limits on infield shifts and bigger bases, which were tested in spring exhibitions but weren't used in the WBC.
Autos
-
The Lamborghini Revuelto is a 1,001 horsepower hybrid supercar flagship
Closing out a half century of purely gasoline-powered V12 cars going back to the brand's earliest models, Luxury Italian sports car designer Lamborghini has unveiled its first supercar with a charging port.
-
U.S. opens investigation into Tesla seat belts coming loose
U.S. highway safety regulators have opened yet another investigation into problems with Teslas, this time tied to complaints that the seat belts may not hold people in a crash.
-
New California gas price law another defeat for oil industry
California lawmakers on Monday approved the nation's first penalty for price gouging at the pump, voting to give regulators the power to punish oil companies for profiting from the type of gas price spikes that plagued the nation's most populous state last summer.
