A traveller arrives at the departure hall of Changi Airport Terminal 3 on November 11, 2020 in … [+]
Ore Huiying/Getty Images
Singapore and Hong Kong have again delayed the launch of an air travel bubble (ATB) between the two cities following a spike in unlinked Covid-19 infections in Singapore that triggered stricter social distancing measures in the city-state.
The ATB, which was due to start on May 26, was to have facilitated quarantine-free travel for residents of the two cities. The decision to delay the launch was made following a meeting on Monday morning between Singapore’s newly appointed transport minister S Iswaran and Hong Kong’s Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau.
“Both sides remain strongly committed to launching the ATB safely,” Singapore’s ministry of transportation said in a statement. “However, in light of the recent increase in unlinked community cases, Singapore is unable to meet the criteria to start the Singapore-Hong Kong ATB. Both sides therefore agreed to defer the launch of the ATB to protect the health of travelers and the public in these two places.”
The ATB was originally scheduled to be launched last November, but the plan was shelved following a flare-up in Covid-19 infections in Hong Kong just before the first flight took off. In April, the new launch date of May 26 was announced, sparking a frenzy for the limited air tickets on Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific. The tickets for the first week of the flights were reportedly immediately sold out.
Singapore on Friday announced fresh Covid-19 restrictions to stem the increasing number of unlinked or untraceable cases in the city-state. The measures which will be enforced for four weeks until June 13 include banning dining-in at restaurants and limiting gatherings to two people from five currently. Working from home will be the default for most businesses.
Both sides have been reviewing the ATB arrangements since early May when the number of unlinked infections in Singapore started to increase. Under the agreement, the travel bubble may be postponed if the threshold of a seven-day moving average of five or more unlinked community cases in either city is breached.
Singapore reported 21 community cases today, of which 11 were unlinked, placing the seven-day moving average at 6, according to estimates by the Business Times.
