The government says although the operation of cross-border checkpoints has gone very smoothly since quarantine-free travel with the mainland resumed on Sunday, it will closely monitor the situation to ensure that remains the case. Tens of thousands of people have crossed the border via land checkpoints, leading some commuters to complain about overcrowding on the East Rail, as Maggie Ho reports:

Government pandemic advisor, David Hui, says Covid cases here are bound to increase in the near future following the reopening of quarantine-free travel with the mainland, as well as the lifting of most of Hong Kong's anti-Covid measures. And he again warned that it could mean restrictions would be tightened. It comes as new Covid infections fell to 11,641 on Monday, including 323 imported ones. Another 64 patients with the virus died. Violet Wong reports:

A medical service provider says there have been some "hiccups" in the supply of bivalent Covid jabs and it could not start providing them to non-locals on Monday as planned. Currently, non-residents can get two doses of first-generation Covid vaccines for free, but they can only get a free bivalent BioNTech inoculation if they have previously received a jab in Hong Kong. Some private clinics, such as Virtus Medical Group, are offering to sell bivalent jabs to non-locals now that rail and other border crossings have reopened. But the group's Chief Medical Executive, Samuel Kwok, told Kelly Yu that it may take a few more days for the pharmaceutical company to get the jabs ready:

The Federation of Trade Unions has called on authorities to review the drug registration system, saying the current system makes it difficult for mainland medicine to be used in Hong Kong. At the moment, drugs manufactured on the mainland must be registered in the country, and have a certificate of pharmaceutical product (CPP) from one of 32 countries listed by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board, before they can be sold here. But FTU lawmaker Joephy Chan told Kelly Yu that such requirements should be relaxed so local patients can have more choice:

The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce says a survey of its members has found that companies expect business to pick up this year, but not to pre-pandemic levels. And they would like to see another round of consumption vouchers rolled out to boost the local economy. The chamber's chief executive, George Leung, said the restoration of quarantine-free travel with the mainland would give businesses a lift, but staff shortages remained a major challenge. He spoke to Violet Wong:

Mainland media say the country has started a "new phase" in its battle against Covid-19, after Beijing dropped border controls on Sunday in the final easing of anti-pandemic measures. Financial markets welcomed the move, as Aaron Tam reports:

A former Macau legislator says inbound tourism has reached pre-pandemic levels, after the SAR dropped all travel restrictions on Sunday. Agnes Lam, a University of Macau associate professor, said people were happy they no longer had to use a health code or report Covid cases, and felt more confident about the state of the economy. She spoke to Vicky Wong:

Thailand has rescinded an entry policy announced at the weekend requiring visitors to show proof of a Covid vaccination, citing sufficient immunisation levels in China and globally. The about-face was announced by its health minister on Monday, as the red carpet was rolled out for the return of visitors from China. Mike Weeks reports:

A group of 19 politically-unaffiliated lawmakers has urged the government to think carefully before committing to big infrastructural projects, saying it is facing a major budget deficit. The group believes it is important to continue easing the financial burden of the general public, as Kelly Yu reports:

A survey by an NGO has found that parents of sick children experience different levels of mental stress, with some losing concentration and memory while others suffer from insomnia. In the most serious cases, the parents admitted having suicidal thoughts. Ronald McDonald House Charities surveyed 153 parents of sick children and found that the Covid pandemic in the past three years had made their lives even more challenging. A director of the charity, Professor Godfrey Chan, who is also a doctor at the Hong Kong Children's Hospital, told Janice Wong that only a third of the parents felt the government provided them with adequate support: