good news: Singapore, Hong Kong will no longer launch travel bubble due to different Covid-19 strategies

[The_King]

SINGAPORE - Singapore and Hong Kong will no longer launch the long-delayed travel bubble for quarantine-free travel between the two cities.

Transport Minister S. Iswaran said on Thursday (Aug 19): "Both sides are focused on keeping our populations safe and minimising the risk of imported cases.

"But our strategies differ, with Singapore now taking steps to becoming a Covid-19-resilient nation. Against this backdrop, my Hong Kong counterpart, Secretary Edward Yau, and I have discussed and concluded that we will not be able to launch or sustain the air travel bubble in its present form."

Mr Iswaran said Singapore and Hong Kong remain committed to facilitating travel between each other, given that both cities are financial and aviation hubs with close ties.

Hence, Hong Kong has announced that there will be a shorter quarantine period for vaccinated travellers from Singapore.

Meanwhile, Singapore announced on Thursday that visitors from Hong Kong will be able to enter the Republic with just one on-arrival Covid-19 swab test.

 

 

They will be allowed to go about their activities if they test negative.

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

The Hong Kong-Singapore travel scheme was slated to launch last November but was postponed to May after Hong Kong had a surge in cases.

It was derailed again when the number of coronavirus cases began to rise in Singapore in May. The situation stabilised, before another spike in cases in June.

Hong Kong legislators had last month urged the government to scrap the plan as Singapore shifts from a zero-infection strategy, which Hong Kong places great importance on.

They reasoned that having zero coronavirus cases is a requirement for the territory to reopen borders with the mainland.

 

 

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/singapore-hong-kong-will-no-longer-launch-travel-bubble-due-to-different-covid