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Hong Kong and Singapore have reached a preliminary “travel bubble” agreement that would eliminate the need for people traveling between the two jurisdictions to undergo quarantine or stay-at-home measures, the Secretary for Trade and Development announced Thursday. Hong Kong Economist, Edward Yau.
If finalized, travelers would only need to produce a negative COVID-19 test result at a facility mutually recognized by both cities.
The purposes of the trip would not be limited to work or business, nor would travelers be restricted in their itineraries after arrival.
The specific flights would move people between the two cities and would only transport Hong Kong and Singapore residents.
Hong Kong currently bans all foreign visitors from entering, while returning residents must enter a 14-day quarantine.
“The remaining work is to finalize all the details with a view to allowing people to travel through the bubble arrangement as soon as possible,” Yau said.
“We hope to use the next few weeks to implement all these requirements that involve certain legislative amendments, agreements with airports, airlines and also the type of mutual recognition of the test protocol.”
The launch date and more details of the “travel bubble” deal have yet to be revealed, although Hong Kong media suggested on Thursday that it would likely launch in December.
However, Hong Kong remains on high alert following the severity of its third wave in July. Another 12 cases were reported Thursday, with a total of 5,214 cases of which more than 60% have been transmitted locally.
“Travel (between Hong Kong and Singapore) should be allowed if it is safe and low risk,” Yau said. “The common goal is to contain the virus through all these kinds of control measures.”
Singapore had raised the possibility of “air travel bubbles” with so-called “safe” countries like Hong Kong, Australia, and New Zealand earlier this month, which could provide a boost to tour operators, including Singapore’s IRs: Marina Bay Sands (MBS) and Resorts World Sentosa (RWS).
MBS posted an Adjusted EBITDA loss of US $ 113 million in the three months through June 30, 2020, with a 96.7% drop in net income year-on-year, while RWS posted a loss of SG $ 163.3 million (US $ 119.1 million) as a consequence of a 99% decrease in gaming revenues.
