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SINGAPORE: The moment Ms. Xianna Lock heard about the Singapore-Hong Kong air travel bubble, she went directly to the Singapore Airlines website to book flights back to Singapore for Christmas and Chinese New Years.
The 36-year-old Singaporean and her husband have been based in Hong Kong for three years. The last time he visited Singapore was in March, just before Hong Kong closed its borders to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Now she is excited about the prospect of going home.
How do we feel (after learning about the travel bubble)? Yes finally! ”Ms. Lock told CNA by phone from Hong Kong.
“Because previously, in the last three years, we have returned to Singapore quite often. So suddenly quitting … and I mean, you’re also worried about your family members in Singapore because it’s been a difficult period for everyone as well. “
READ: COVID-19: Singapore and Hong Kong reach agreement in principle to establish bilateral air transport bubble
Singapore and Hong Kong announced on October 15 that they had reached an agreement in principle to establish a bilateral air travel bubble.
Full details of the deal, including the implementation date and how COVID-19 testing will be carried out, have not yet been announced.
But the air travel bubble will exempt travelers from quarantines or stay-at-home advisories if they are negative for coronavirus on mutually recognized polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests.
Unlike green lane or fast lane arrangements with other destinations, there will be no restrictions on the purpose of travel under the Singapore-Hong Kong air travel bubble, paving the way for leisure travelers. Nor will they need to have a controlled itinerary.
READ: Express Lane, Green Lane, Airlift Pass – What You Need To Know About Singapore’s COVID-19 Travel Measures
While Singapore residents can return home under the current circumstances, those traveling from Hong Kong must provide a seven-day stay-at-home notice that can be made at their place of residence.
The stay-at-home notice period was previously 14 days in a dedicated facility, but was shortened from October 15 after Hong Kong was added to Singapore’s list of low-risk countries and regions.
These restrictions made it difficult for Singaporeans to take time off from work to travel home.
Since the isolation period is 14 days in Hong Kong, it roughly adds to the number of annual vacation days an employee has, noted Ms Su Weiying, who has been working in Hong Kong for almost six years.
FILE PHOTO: Cathay Pacific Airways planes are seen at Hong Kong International Airport, China, Sept. 6, 2019. REUTERS / Amr Abdallah Dalsh / FILE PHOTO
Despite the lack of details about the Singapore-Hong Kong air travel bubble, Ms Lock and her husband decided to reserve their seats as Chinese New Year is the most popular period for Singaporeans in Hong Kong to return to. House.
Many expats who feel “locked in” in Hong Kong also tend to fly in December, he added.
Ms. Lock said being away from home for so long due to the pandemic makes her cherish the moments she used to share with her family, like sitting down to dinner or playing with her niece.
“And just being able to be back in Singapore and eat your local food. I think for us, being out of Singapore for so many years, that’s the one thing we always miss when we are away, ”he added.
MONTHS OF SEPARATION AND DELAYED FLIGHTS
It is a sentiment shared by many Singaporeans who live and work in Hong Kong.
Shortly after the travel bubble announcement, Joanne Tan, who has not returned since March 2019, began looking for flights back to Singapore.
She had recently given birth and her priority was to go home so her family would meet their eight-month-old baby.
“I had planned that during my maternity leave, I would take the time to bring my baby, show it to everyone, spend time with everyone who was there,” the 34-year-old said. “But obviously that didn’t happen.”
“So it was only my parents who managed to come for three days before Chinese New Year to see her when she was born. It has been a bit sad not to have been able to return and, above all, not to have been able to bring my baby to meet his family.
Without the need to self-quarantine with her daughter, the journey would be more manageable, added Ms Tan.
READ: Singapore-Hong Kong air travel bubble to be suspended if COVID-19 cases rise: Ong Ye Kung
It has been a period of uncertainty for Singaporeans abroad, who have had to reschedule and cancel flights as the COVID-19 situation evolved around the world.
Ms. Lock, who used to travel back to Singapore on a monthly basis, had to cancel several flights between April and July.
While she and her husband initially tried to be optimistic about keeping their June or July tickets, they soon decided, after their April and May tickets were rescheduled, that they should simply cancel the rest of their flights.
“(After the April and May tickets were rescheduled) we thought, you know, let’s cancel everything because it doesn’t make sense to reschedule for another date when you’re not sure if you can still fly. So we canceled and got a refund instead, ”he said.
Ms. Su postponed her flight to Singapore several times.
He had initially planned to return in March, but as COVID-19 cases increased in Hong Kong and Singapore, he postponed it to May.
Then, due to Singapore’s “circuit breaker,” he delayed it until July and then again until October.
“That’s when the (airline) was suggesting, why not cancel it and book another flight, because the postponement can only be for one year? At the rate I’m putting off, I might as well cancel and book again, “Ms. Su said.
In the end, Ms. Su decided to cancel the ticket and return to Singapore on another flight. He returned home in September, served his 14-day stay-at-home notice, and is currently working remotely from Singapore.
However, the 36-year-old said she was “excited” when she learned about the travel bubble.
Relaxing travel restrictions “opens many doors for discussion and creative arrangements” with companies about work, he said, adding that some employees could arrange to work from wherever they want.
“I am very excited for my friends who plan to return home so they can spend more time with family than in a hotel,” she added.
Since nothing is set in stone, Ms. Lock is prepared for any eventuality.
“We know it is very fluid,” he said. “So the only thing we can do is position ourselves to assume first that if there is a travel bubble, at least we book the flights.”
“In the event that it explodes in Singapore or Hong Kong and they slow down this travel bubble, I think we’ve come to accept that this will be the new norm, so we’re not putting our hopes too high and not trying to plan everything, without telling to all our friends that, hey, we’ll be back for this time.
“I think you just feel like you’re going home once you’re at the airport and you probably get on the plane, then you might find that, okay, great, now I’m going back to Singapore. But until then, I don’t think we’re trying to get too excited, ”he said.
Like Ms. Lock, Ms. Tan said that she looks forward to local food when visiting Singapore.
“I have a list,” he said laughing. “I have been compiling a list of foods that I have to eat. For the last year, I have been compiling a list.”
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