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A new travel bubble between Singapore and Hong Kong was supposed to start on November 22 (tomorrow), but was postponed a few hours before launch.
Why the travel bubble was delayed
One of the conditions of this new travel bubble between Singapore and Hong Kong was that it could be suspended in the event that either destination saw an increase in non-localized coronavirus cases. There was always the risk that it could eventually be undone, although most people probably weren’t expecting it to happen with the launch.
Singapore’s Minister of Transport today announced that the launch of the travel bubble will be postponed for at least two weeks. The move came after Hong Kong saw an increase in the number of new coronavirus cases in recent days – Hong Kong reported 43 new cases today and 26 new cases yesterday, which is an increase from the number of cases mostly single digits that we have seen in previous days.
The new launch date has yet to be determined depending on how the situation evolves, as no final decision has been taken. Travelers can still continue their journey, although they would have to do so under the old rules, which would require a seven-day quarantine.
The travel bubble postponement announcement came shortly after Singapore announced that additional coronavirus testing would be required upon arrival in Singapore, meaning travelers would have to take up to four tests of coronavirus to travel under this arrangement.
The travel bubble was canceled a day before launch
How the travel bubble was supposed to work
In a grassroots context, Singapore and Hong Kong have done a great job of keeping the number of coronavirus cases low. Both locations have mostly kept their borders closed to visitors. With the travel bubble concept, travelers could move between the two locations without the typical quarantine.
However, there are many restrictions associated with it:
- Travelers would need to fly on special bubble flights so as not to mix with transit passengers; there was a maximum of 200 daily travelers under the arrangement
- There would be up to four required coronavirus tests (and it’s also expensive) to participate, including pre and post travel testing on both sides
There’s no denying that the goal of this travel bubble was to minimize risk rather than make travel easy and accessible, and that’s absolutely right. But it also shows you that even with so many precautions, this concept was in jeopardy even before launch. The risks currently associated with international travel don’t just apply to places where the coronavirus is not well managed.
I’ll be curious to see if the new travel bubble actually launches in a few weeks, or if this concept just doesn’t work out.
The travel bubble was supposed to be limited to 200 people per day
At the end of the line
Singapore and Hong Kong were supposed to launch a travel bubble concept as early as tomorrow, allowing travelers to pass quarantine while passing numerous tests. That concept was based on the fact that there wasn’t even a minimal spike in the cases, and unfortunately, this is something that happened just before launch.
Presumably a lot of people had already paid for coronavirus tests for their departures tomorrow, so they’re running out of things. Hopefully they can at least cancel hotels and activities without penalties.
I’ll be curious to see if this concept comes to fruition in a few weeks or if it will be delayed much longer than that.
Are you surprised to see this travel bubble pushed back before it even launches?
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