May 03, 2021
Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung acknowledged it is a difficult time to talk about reopening borders.
The Straits Times
SINGAPORE - Some safe opening of air travel in 2021 is possible if governments open up cautiously with regions that have a low number of domestic Covid-19 cases, said Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung.
At the same time, measures should be tightened for places with high infection rates, he added in a speech on Monday (May 3) at a virtual dialogue on reopening borders by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Business Advisory Council.
Making the point that vaccines are working , he said: We are not likely to see a strong V-shaped recovery in aviation this year. But the start of a recovery is possible, and worth working towards.
The much-anticipated air travel bubble to allow quarantine-free travel between Singapore and Hong Kong is set to take off on May 26 – six months after its initial planned launch.
Originally planned to start in November last year, it was deferred by both parties due to the worsening Covid-19 situation in Hong Kong.
Singapore’s Ministry of Transport (MOT) said yesterday that the travel bubble will have a cautious start.
There will be one flight a day in each direction, capped at 200 passengers on each flight for the first two weeks. The numbers will be reviewed thereafter.
Rules for travel will also be tightened.
Coronavirus: vaccinations a must for future travel bubbles, minister says, as Hong Kong-Singapore tickets snapped up msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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Singapore, Hong Kong to relaunch travel bubble on May 26
Composite image of the skylines of Hong Kong (left) and Singapore. (Photo: Usplash/Ruslan Bardash and Reuters/Edgar Su)
26 Apr 2021 12:05PM) Share this content
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SINGAPORE: Singapore and Hong Kong have agreed to set May 26 as the launch date of their travel bubble, both cities announced on Monday (Apr 26).
Stricter conditions will be introduced for the travel bubble s resumption. This includes travellers having to remain in Singapore or Hong Kong in the last 14 days prior to departure, excluding any time spent in quarantine or stay-home notice.