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Kin Cheung / AP
The agreement allowed travelers to enter without quarantine if they completed Covid-19 tests before and after arriving, but it was postponed due to a sudden increase in Hong Kong.
Singapore and Hong Kong on Saturday postponed the start of an air travel bubble aimed at boosting tourism in both cities, citing a surge in infections across China as a “sober reminder” of public health risks.
The travel bubble, originally scheduled to start on Sunday, will be delayed for at least two weeks, Hong Kong Minister of Trade and Economic Development Edward Yau said at a press conference.
The agreement is intended to allow travelers between the two cities to enter without quarantine as long as they complete coronavirus tests before and after arriving at their destinations and fly on designated flights.
Hong Kong reported 43 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, including 13 untraceable local infections.
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“For any plan to be successful, they must meet the condition of ensuring public health and also making sure that both parties feel comfortable and safe with the plan,” Yau said. “In light of the situation in Hong Kong, I think it’s the responsible way to put this behind for a while and then relaunch it at an appropriate time.”
Under the initial agreement, the travel bubble would be suspended if the number of local, untraceable infections in Singapore or Hong Kong exceeded five on a seven-day moving average. The current average in Hong Kong is nearly four, prompting Yau and Singaporean Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung to postpone the inaugural flight.
On Friday, Hong Kong’s top health official said the city “had probably entered” a new wave of cases. Recent groups have included taxi drivers, a dance studio, and hotels.
Hong Kong has confirmed a total of 5,561 cases, including 108 deaths. Singapore has reported 58,148 cases, but only 28 deaths.
Before the postponement, Singapore said on Saturday morning that travelers arriving from Hong Kong through the bubble will have to undergo a coronavirus test upon arrival. Originally, only people who landed in Hong Kong were required to undergo tests.
Ong said in a Facebook post that the postponement is a “sober reminder that the COVID-19 virus is still with us.”
“I can fully understand the disappointment and frustration of travelers who have planned their trips. But we think it is better to differ from a public health point of view, ”he wrote.
