Crowds form long queues to cross industrial zone checkpoint

Long queues of Macau local residents and non-local workers formed at the Zhuhai-Macau Cross-Border Industrial Zone early this morning amid Macau’s implementation of new service hours for immigration checkpoints.

Starting from January 27, the local government has shortened the service hours of the Border Gate immigration facility from previous 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. the next day to the current schedule from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

All remaining ports are to retain the same opening hours, including the Zhuhai-Macau Cross-Border Industrial Zone. This particular port is situated near the Gongbei area of Zhuhai, located in Ilha Verde area on the Macau side.

As the nearest border to Gongbei, this border has become the most popular alternative for non-local workers who travel on a daily basis between Macau and Zhuhai, and for some Macau local residents as well. This port is only accessible to Macau’s blue-card holders, non-local students and Macau residents. This facility is open 24 hours per day.

The first two days (January 28 and 29) of the implementation of new policies have prompted the PSP to take extra measures at this particular port. Yesterday, the PSP claimed that it only took 20 minutes for all members of the crowd to cross between the two cities at midnight, and that the whole process was conducted orderly, safely and effectively.