SINGAPORE – Singapore has not given up on forming a bilateral “air travel bubble” with Hong Kong that would allow travelers to skip quarantine, Southeast Asian country’s Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung told CNBC.
The deal was due to begin last November, but was postponed after Hong Kong reported a resurgence in the new Covid-19 cases. No new release date has been set, but Ong said authorities on both sides have been in touch.
“As you know, the deal has been signed, concluded. We are making some modifications, some proposals to toughen it,” the minister told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia” on Thursday.
“But I think the key consideration now is that it’s shortly after the Chinese New Year and both sides are being cautious. We want to see if there is any impact due to the Chinese New Year on community transmission.” added.
The Lunar New Year festivities took place last month. Celebrations often involve gatherings and visiting homes of family and friends, events that were reduced in many countries this year due to the pandemic.
Ong said there seems to be no sign of increased Covid transmission after the holidays.
In Singapore, new daily cases have remained low, with no community infections most days, he said. As of Wednesday, the country has reported more than 60,000 confirmed cases and 29 deaths since the outbreak began, according to health ministry data.
In Hong Kong, the number of new cases daily has also dropped from a recent peak in January. As of Wednesday, the city has reported more than 11,000 confirmed and probable Covid cases and 203 deaths, according to official data.
Both Singapore and Hong Kong are the major Asian shopping malls that do not have domestic air travel markets. Its tourism and aviation industry, heavily dependent on international travel, has been hit hard by the pandemic.
Pandemic control remains key to reopening
In addition to Hong Kong, Singapore is willing to establish “travel bubble” agreements with other places, Ong said, which predicts “some recovery” in aviation this year.
“What is in our favor is vaccination. What is not in our favor are mutations and variants that are more transmissible and may not respond to vaccination. So you have these opposing forces and I think that is the nature of vaccination. this battle. keep throwing you curve balls, “the minister said.
“But despite that, I think vaccination is a big game changer and at some point this year we hope it recovers a bit. And when we consider recovery, I think the air travel bubble is one of the main ones. tables to work with, ”he added.
As a place, as a territory, or as a country, your history of infection control remains the key outcome we need to keep in mind. And if they succeed, we should continue to open up to them and form air travel bubbles with them.
Ong Ye Kung |
Minister of Transport of Singapore
Vaccination rates will not be the only consideration for Singapore in opening its borders, Ong said. He added that the history of countries and territories, in terms of pandemic control, is a more important factor.
The minister noted that even before vaccinations began, Singapore was able to open up to some places that were considered “safe”.
Over the past year, Singapore has allowed visitors from various places (including Australia, New Zealand, mainland China and Taiwan) to bypass quarantine if they meet certain requirements, such as a Covid-19 polymerase chain reaction test ( PCR) on arrival.
Ong said around 1,000 such travelers enter Singapore every day without having to be quarantined and that so far they have not caused higher Covid transmission rates in the country.
“We still need to take a bilateral country-by-country approach,” he said.
“As a place, as a territory or as a country, their history of infection control remains the key outcome we need to look at. And if they are successful, we should continue to open up to them and form air travel with them. “.