Chief Executive John Lee said on Thursday that Hong Kong people travelling to the mainland will soon be allowed to fulfil their quarantine requirements in the SAR before crossing the border in a closed loop.

He said Guangzhou and Shenzhen authorities have agreed to the scheme in principle.

Lee made the announcement after attending a virtual meeting with leaders from Guangdong province and from the two cities.

At a press briefing, he said a joint task force will be set up to hammer out details for the so-called "reverse quarantine" arrangement, adding Chief Secretary Eric Chan will lead the Hong Kong delegation.

At present, anyone arriving on the mainland has to undergo a week of centralised quarantine followed by three days of home observation under the “seven-plus-three” arrangement.

Lee said the proposed reverse quarantine arrangement will ease the burden on quarantine hotel rooms on the mainland and ensure a regular flow of people from Hong Kong into Shenzhen.

“We will try to do this fast. As always, we want to ensure that action comes quickly,” he said.

Lee was asked whether Hong Kong has given up seeking quarantine-free travel to the mainland. “This proposal of doing quarantine in Hong Kong so as to fulfil the seven-plus-three requirement in Shenzhen is in no replacement of other measures that we always try to seek so as to allow more convenience in allowing people to travel from Hong Kong to the mainland,” he said.

“We are working on all possible options.”

Roundtable lawmaker Michael Tien welcomed the reverse quarantine plan.

He said modular units could be built at the Lok Ma Chau Loop in a matter of one or two months to quarantine mainland-bound travellers.

Tien said mainland agencies could be commissioned to test those under quarantine, noting that authorities across the border have a more stringent standard for PCR testing than in Hong Kong.

"I think it would ease their minds and in so doing we will gain long-term mutual trust to even maybe expand on the facility and therefore increase the number of daily quota of going into the mainland under the seven-plus-three."

Tien said if the arrangement proves to be watertight, the Covid situation in Hong Kong should not affect the plan to allow more people in the city to travel to the mainland.