Singapore

Singapore, Hong Kong lift travel bubbles due to different Covid-19 strategies


SINGAPORE – Singapore and Hong Kong will no longer roll out travel bubbles for long-delayed quarantine-free travel between the two cities.

Transport Minister S. Iswaran said on Thursday (August 19): “Both sides are committed to keeping our population safe and minimizing the risk of imported cases.

“But our strategy is different, and Singapore is now taking steps to become a resilient country against Covid-19. Against this backdrop, my Hong Kong counterpart, Edward Yau, and I discussed and concluded that we will not be able to initiate or maintain the current form of The air travel bubble.”

Mr Iswaran said Singapore and Hong Kong remained committed to facilitating travel between each other, as both cities are well-connected financial and aviation hubs.

However, Hong Kong tightened border controls on Friday, with vaccinated travelers from Singapore and other places deemed to be at moderate risk of infection required to undergo a 14-day quarantine instead of seven.

Meanwhile, Singapore announced on Thursday that tourists from Hong Kong and Macau will only need to take a Covid-19 swab test on arrival to enter the republic.

If the test is negative, they will be allowed to continue their activities.

Singapore and Hong Kong had said last month they would resume discussions on travel bubbles when the Covid-19 situation allowed.

The Hong Kong-Singapore travel program was originally scheduled to start in November last year, but was delayed until May due to a surge in cases in Hong Kong.

It was derailed again in May when the number of coronavirus cases in Singapore started to rise. The situation stabilized before cases spiked again in June.

As Singapore shifts away from the zero-infection strategy that Hong Kong attaches great importance to, lawmakers in Hong Kong last month urged the government to scrap the plan.

They reasoned that zero coronavirus cases was a requirement for the region to reopen its borders with the mainland.

But even as the beleaguered air travel bubble is coming to an end, Hong Kong-Singaporeans hoping to return home have mostly cheered the news that quarantines for those entering Singapore from Hong Kong will begin on Friday.



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