The air travel bubble has been postponed for at least two weeks after 43 new coronavirus cases were reported in Hong Kong on Saturday.
The travel bubble between Hong Kong and Singapore, which originally started on Sunday, has been postponed amid an additional streak of infection in the semi-autonomous Chinese city.
Hong Kong’s Minister of Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau told a news conference on Saturday that the air passenger bubble to promote tourism in both cities would be delayed by at least two weeks.
The arrangement is to allow passengers between the two cities to enter and exit the designated flights without quarantine until they have completed coronavirus tests before and after arriving at their destinations.
There were 43 new coronavirus cases reported in Hong Kong on Saturday, including 13 unsolved local infections.
“For any plan to be successful, they must meet the condition of protecting public health and ensure that both parties are comfortable and feel safe about the plan,” Ye said.
“Given the situation in Hong Kong, I think it’s a responsible way to put this for a while, and then relaunch it in the right place.”
The plan will be reconsidered in December, he added.
Under the initial agreement, if the number of local infections exceeding five in Singapore or Hong Kong beyond the seven-day moving average, travel bubbles would have to be deferred. The current average in Hong Kong is about four, so Ya and Singapore’s Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung will postpone the inaugural flight.
On Friday, Hong Kong’s top health official said a new wave of cases in the city “probably.” Has been entered. Recent clusters include taxi drivers, dance studios and hotels.
Hong Kong has confirmed a total of 5,561 cases, including 108 deaths. There were 58,148 reported cases in Singapore, but only 28 people died.
Prior to the postponement, Singapore said on Saturday morning that passengers arriving from Hong Kong by bubble would be required to take a coronavirus test upon arrival. Originally, only people going to Hong Kong needed to be tested.
“Postponement is a modest reminder that the Covid-19 virus is still with us,” Ngang said in a Facebook post.
“I fully understand the frustration and frustration of the passengers who have planned their trips. But we think it is better to postpone in terms of public health, ”he wrote.
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