The government was on Thursday urged to exempt cross-border students from Covid test requirements when it make arrangements for the children to go back to school.

From January 8, people will be able to travel to the mainland without having to undergo quarantine, although anyone going in either direction will need to obtain a negative PCR test result, up to 48 hours before their trip.

Chief Secretary Eric Chan said details on how children living on the mainland can return to their schools in Hong Kong will be announced after the Lunar New Year holiday.

The Society for Community Organisation’s deputy director, Sze Lai-shan, said a lot of these students are from low-income families and they would not be able to afford frequent PCR tests.

“If they need to pay for the tests every day, it will be expensive for them. So, we hope they will waive or [limit it to] one week once, or can maybe instead ask them to do the quick tests rather than the paid tests,” she told RTHK.

Sze added, however, that the further reopening of the border is good news for the children, as their academic performance has been greatly affected by being limited to classes online.