The much-awaited travel bubble between Asian financial hubs Singapore and Hong Kong was set to open in less than two weeks. However, due to a substantial rise in COVID-19 cases in Singapore over the past weeks, a Changi Airport cluster, and new restrictions from the government, officials say it is unlikely that it will go ahead.
Highest daily number in nine months
Edward Yau, Hong Kong’s Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, said Friday that there is a ‘high chance’ that the Singapore-Hong Kong bubble will not be able to open on May 26th as planned. This view was also echoed by Singapore’s Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung.
The quarantine-free travel corridor was originally intended to open in November last year but was pushed back due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in Hong Kong. This time around, it is the figures coming out of Singapore that are casting doubts on its formation.
On Thursday, Singapore reported 24 new local cases, the highest daily number since July 2020. The recent trend has been upward. Thus far in May, there have been 136 new domestic infections, compared to 55 in April and only nine in March, the South China Morning Post reports.
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Airport cluster among vaccinated staff
According to the New York Times, at least 46 of the fresh cases are linked to a cluster of vaccinated workers at Changi Airport. The staff was working in an area receiving flights from high-risk countries, including from South Asia. Several have tested positive for the B.1.617 variant first detected in India.
In response to the discovery, authorities are now testing all airport employees. Furthermore, it has restricted access to terminals to ticketholders for two weeks, beginning Thursday. The state has also reintroduced a ban on dining in restaurants and gatherings of more than two people.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong on Friday saw only one new COVID-19 case, which was imported. This makes one whole week without a new local or untraceable infection. Officials are scheduled to meet next week when they say they will have a more definitive answer on the fate of the bubble.
One flight per day
The bubble between the two Asian financial hubs is meant to reestablish travel links and slowly reboot both aviation and other related industries. Suffering from the lack of domestic markets, both Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific are feeling the prolonged near-obliteration of long-haul traffic especially acutely. Changi Airport is still operating at only 3% capacity.
The scheme, which will allow quarantine-free travel between Singapore and Hong Kong, is meant to start with one flight per day to each of the cities. Flights can carry up to 200 passengers. Travelers must test negative for COVID both before departure and upon arrival. Hong Kong citizens may also travel to Singapore two weeks after they have had both doses of their COVID vaccines.
However, the bubble’s launch depends on the seven-day moving average of daily new unlinked local cases staying below five. As it stands now, Singapore has 12 active clusters.
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