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Friday, October 16, 2020, 02:55
HK-Singapore 'travel bubble' plan within weeks
By He Shusi in Hong Kong
Friday, October 16, 2020, 02:55 By He Shusi in Hong Kong

This file photo shows immigration clearance counters at Terminal 1 (T1) of Changi Airport in Singapore, on Thursday, Dec 13, 2018. (NICKY LOH / BLOOMBERG)

For the first time in nearly 10 months, Hong Kong residents will be able to travel abroad without having to be quarantined following a “travel bubble” deal between the SAR and Singapore.

Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau Tang-wah said on Thursday the arrangement is expected to be launched in a few weeks.

Under the agreement, travelers from both cities must take designated flights carrying passengers who tested negative for COVID-19 in designated laboratories within 72 hours before departure.

There’ll be no limit on the visitors’ travel schedules or purpose of their on arrival in both places. But, they must not proceed to other destinations apart from Singapore or Hong Kong within 14 days, meaning transit travelers will be excluded from the scheme, Yau said.

The number of flights can be adjusted and restrictions may be relaxed, tightened or suspended, depending on the COVID-19 situation in both places, he said, stressing it’s all about striking a balance between economic development and curbing the pandemic.

Yau said both governments will try to settle flight arrangements and the list of recognized testing institutions before rolling out the plan as soon as possible.

Hong Kong currently has 17 recognized labs that conduct coronavirus tests, while Singapore has testing facilities at both the airport and city center to make it convenient for travelers.

ALSO READ: HK sees no new cases, musician tests preliminary positive

“It’s an important first step for Hong Kong to revive traveling under the pandemic,” Yau said. “The government will continue talks with other countries and may make new ‘travel bubble’ arrangements to revive the economy step by step.”

Hong Kong has been in talks with 11 countries for such an arrangement since June this year. Some countries require restrictions on visit routes in town, while others would only allow business travelers, prohibit visitors from using public transport and some expect the pandemic to worsen, Yau said.

The outbreak in Singapore appears to have been brought under control in recent weeks, with the daily tally of new cases less than 10 for most days this month.

It recorded no new local cases of COVID-19 for the first time since February this week, as it rebounds from an outbreak in migrant worker dormitories that at one stage contributed to over a thousand infections a day.

“It’s a small step but a significant one because both Hong Kong and Singapore are regional aviation hubs,” Singaporean Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said told reporters Thursday. “For the two of us to be able to control the epidemic, to come together to discuss and establish this air travel bubble, hopefully sets a model for us to forge more such relationships and partnerships.”

ALSO READ: HK must 'take decisive action against virus or fall behind'

Hong Kong has seen a slight fluctuation in the number of daily cases recently, prompting fears of a fourth wave of infections. But, new local cases have mostly been in the single digits in October so far.

Hong Kong-listed Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. jumped as much as 7.8 percent, the most in more than seven weeks, before closing with a 6.1 percent gain. Shares of Singapore Airlines Ltd. rose 0.6 percent. Both carriers have been hit particularly hard by travel curbs and the drop in demand from the coronavirus pandemic because they don’t have a domestic market to fall back on.

Governments around the world have been trying to create travel bubbles to help reboot their economies and aviation industries. Opening up is particularly important for places such as Hong Kong and Singapore as they rely so heavily on international connectivity.

Travel bubbles have proved difficult to establish because the virus keeps flaring, even in communities where it was thought to have been eliminated. People are largely avoiding travel, anyway, because of the strict quarantine requirements in many jurisdictions. A June survey of travelers by the International Air Transport Association found that 83 percent were unwilling to travel if it involved a 14-day quarantine period.

“We welcome the announcement by Hong Kong and Singapore on establishing a travel bubble between the two cities,” IATA said in a statement Thursday. “We also urge other governments in Asia to take a similar approach to replace quarantine with COVID-19 testing as part of their efforts to re-open their borders and start restoring their economies.”

In an interview with Bloomberg Television broadcast earlier on Thursday, Ong said effective virus testing was key to replacing quarantine and reviving travel. “We have to gradually open up the borders, establish the key links that made us a hub,” he said.

READ MORE: HK sees 11 new virus cases, 4 testing centers now operational

Ong said in Parliament last week that there’s a desire internationally to cautiously open the skies up again, and that Hong Kong intended to negotiate travel bubble arrangements with places including Singapore.

Earlier this week, Singapore lowered the quarantine threshold for travelers coming from Hong Kong to seven days from 14. It added Hong Kong to its list of countries considered “well under control and the risk of importation is low,” according to the city-state’s Ministry of Health.

Other Bubbles

Elsewhere, Australia and New Zealand have tried to make progress on establishing a travel bubble, only for the plans to collapse. In the latest development, the state of New South Wales will from Friday allow visitors from New Zealand without the need to quarantine. Travelers flying from Auckland are required to complete a declaration form stating they’ve been in New Zealand for the past 14 days. Health screening will take place on arrival and the rule covers passengers landing in Sydney. New Zealand is still enforcing mandatory quarantine.


heshusi@chinadailyhk.com


With inputs from Bloomberg


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