Bookmark & Share
The number of COVID-19 cases in Singapore spiked to 32 cases, up from six cases last week, resulting in the deferment of the Singapore-Hong Kong air travel bubble.
The relaunch of the Singapore-Hong Kong air travel bubble on 26 May will once again be deferred amid the increasing number of unlinked community cases in the city-state, reported TODAY.
Given the worsening COVID-19 situation, the country is “unable to meet the criteria to start the Singapore-Hong Kong air travel bubble”, said Singapore’s Ministry of Transport (MOT) on Monday (17 May).
“Both sides therefore agreed to defer the launch of the air travel bubble to protect the health of travellers and the public in these two places,” said the ministry as quoted by TODAY.
The new launch date will be reviewed by the ministry towards the end of Phase 2 (Heightened Alert), which runs until 13 June.
The ministry assured that both sides would “remain strongly committed to launching the air travel bubble safely”.
This is the second time the travel bubble between Singapore and Hong Kong has been delayed.
The arrangement, which will see people travelling between the two cities without serving quarantine, was initially slated to commence in November 2020. However, it was put on hold one day before its launch after Hong Kong saw a spike in COVID-19 cases.
In late April, authorities from the two cities decided to relaunch the travel bubble under stricter conditions, including having one flight per day only in each direction.
The latest postponement arrived after Minister for Transport S Iswaran met with the Hong Kong government’s Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau on Monday.
The authorities previously announced that the travel bubble would be suspended for at least 14 days if the seven-day moving average of unlinked COVID-19 community cases in Singapore and Hong Kong exceeded five. The figure excludes cases originating from dormitories housing foreign workers in Singapore.
The number of unlinked community cases in Singapore has jumped to 32 over the past week, up from just six cases in the week before.
Meanwhile, travellers can continue to journey between the two cities, although they will have to serve the prevailing border control and health requirements of both cities, said MOT.
For instance, Singapore residents returning from Hong Kong will be subject to a seven-day stay-home notice upon entry into the city-state.
Affected passengers will be contacted by the airlines to provide assistance, said MOT.
Looking for a property in Singapore? Visit PropertyGuru’s Listings, Project Reviews and Guides.
Cheryl Chiew, Digital Content Specialist at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact her about this story, email: cheryl@propertyguru.com.sg
Related Articles:
Jewel Changi Airport tenants to receive support to help tide over temporary closure