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Singapore Airlines crew members at Singapore Changi International Airport on October 24, 2020.
Facebook Facebook logo Sign up for Facebook to connect with Roslan Rahman AFP | fake images
SINGAPORE – Singapore and Hong Kong will go ahead with their air travel arrangements on Sunday as planned, but additional precautionary measures will be imposed as new coronavirus cases rise in Hong Kong.
The Singapore Civil Aviation Authority announced on Saturday that all passengers arriving from Hong Kong will now be required to undergo an additional Covid-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test upon arrival.
They will also have to isolate themselves at their place of residence, whether in a hotel or at home, while they wait for the results, which will take between six and eight hours, the aviation authority said.
To be clear, all Hong Kong passengers under the air transport bubble deal were already required to undergo a Covid-19 PCR test before departure and obtain a negative result before departing for Singapore.
“As mentioned, travelers will now undergo a new COVID-19 PCR test upon arrival,” according to the latest CAAS statement.
The initial air transport bubble deal announced on November 11 did not require any isolation of Hong Kong passengers upon arrival.
Hong Kong’s ‘new wave’
Hong Kong reported on Friday that the number of new daily cases rose to 26, with most of them being local infections.
“We have probably entered a new wave of cases,” the city’s Food and Health Secretary Sophia Chan said at a news conference on Friday, citing experts from the Center for Health Protection.
He said the situation was “serious” and urged citizens to stop all unnecessary gatherings.
The government met Friday night to finalize other contingency measures aimed at curbing the spread of the virus and will not rule out tougher restrictions, Chief Executive Officer Carrie Lam said in a Facebook post.
Hong Kong imposed new restrictions on Saturday, including a ban on clubs and nightclubs, as well as a ban on live performances and dancing in bars and pubs. The government previously announced that elementary schools will be suspended for two weeks starting Monday.
The Singapore and Hong Kong health authorities are in close contact and are monitoring the situation.
Singapore Civil Aviation Authority
Travel authorities on both sides have always said that the agreement will be suspended if the Covid-19 situation in either city deteriorates.
The Hong Kong-Singapore air transport bubble deal is due to begin on November 22 with a single daily flight to each city, limited to a maximum of 200 passengers per flight. The number of flights will increase only if the spread of Covid-19 in both cities remains under control.
Singapore’s aviation authority reiterated on Saturday that the air travel bubble “will be suspended if the seven-day moving average of unrelated cases exceeds five per day.”
“Hong Kong’s figure is currently at 2.14,” CAAS said. “The threshold will be exceeded if there are more than 22 unrelated cases in Hong Kong over the next three days. This will trigger a two-day notification period, after which the suspension will take effect.”
“The Singapore and Hong Kong health authorities are in close contact and are monitoring the situation,” the aviation authority said.
