Flights for Singapore-Hong Kong air travel bubble to start as scheduled with more precautions in place

• Hong Kong passengers arriving in Singapore will have to take a Covid-19 polymerase chain reaction test at Changi Airport
• They must also self-isolate in their place of residence while waiting for the results which will take about six to eight hours
• The additional precautions come as Hong Kong sees a surge in cases
• Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung says there is a high chance the arrangement will be suspended if Hong Kong cases continue to rise  
   

SINGAPORE — The air travel arrangement between Singapore and Hong Kong, which allows all forms of travel, will go ahead as planned on Sunday (Nov 22) but with extra precautions in place. 

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said in a statement on Saturday that all Hong Kong passengers arriving in Singapore under this arrangement will have to take a Covid-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test at Changi Airport. 

After the test, travellers must self-isolate in their place of residence while waiting for the results which will take about six to eight hours. 

They must also take private transportation, taxi, or private hire car from the airport to their declared place of accommodation. 

For the first week, travellers will not have to pay for the cost for the on-arrival test in Singapore to give them time to adjust to this change, CAAS said. Each PCR test costs S$196 including goods and services tax.  

The extra requirement is a precautionary measure given the rise of Covid-19 cases in Hong Kong over the past few days, with more cases expected over the next few days due to the emergence of new clusters. 

The city recorded 26 new coronavirus cases on Friday.

Under the agreement, the arrangement will be suspended if the seven-day moving average of unlinked cases exceeds five a day. 

The figure for Hong Kong is now at 2.14 and the threshold will be exceeded if there are more than 22 unlinked cases in Hong Kong over the next three days. 

This will trigger a two-day notice period, after which suspension of the arrangement will come into effect.

Speaking to reporters after a visit to the Singapore Airlines (SIA) training centre on Saturday, Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said that the Government had expected the travel bubble “to go through its ups and downs”. 

That is why a "circuit breaker” was put into place as part of the arrangement, he added.  

Despite Hong Kong’s case numbers rising, Mr Ong said that the city still has a low incidence rate and is considered low-risk. 

However, he cautioned that there was a “high chance” that if Hong Kong’s case numbers continue to rise, the arrangement may be suspended. 

“Maybe it’s just as well it’s happening now as a sober reminder that the virus is still with us. We are fighting to get back our normal life and our way of life but while we do so, be reminded that the virus is still with us until vaccines are widely available and administered to the majority of people around the world. 

"We continue to take precautions, be careful and manage the ups and downs,” he said.

He also reminded Singaporeans headed to Hong Kong to continue wearing a mask and to avoid crowded and closed areas where there is a lot of interaction.

Mr Ong said that not many countries and cities want to agree to a travel bubble arrangement but Singapore and Hong Kong have “pressed on” as both cities depend on the world to survive and are aviation hubs. 

“In some ways it is to preserve our identities,” he said.   

The air travel bubble arrangement, announced on Nov 11, allows all forms of travel from Nov 22.  

There will be one flight a day into each city with a maximum of 200 travellers every flight, with this increasing to two flights a day into each city from Dec 7. 

Under the arrangement, travellers between Singapore and Hong Kong will be subject to polymerase chain reaction Covid-19 tests in lieu of a quarantine or stay-home notice period.

Travellers must take the test within 72 hours before their scheduled departure and receive a negative result.

Those headed to Hong Kong will also need to take a Covid-19 test upon arrival. 

Travellers must also only travel via designated flights run by SIA and Cathay Pacific.

On Friday evening, CAAS said in a media statement that it was working closely with the Ministry of Health to gather the facts on the Covid-19 situation in Hong Kong, and would update the public shortly, following a jump in the number of cases in Hong Kong.

In response to the statement, travellers who had already bought tickets told TODAY they agreed that the authorities should call off the arrangement should the situation in Hong Kong worsen, noting that safety was more important than the chance to travel again. But if the arrangement went ahead, they would take their own safety precautions as well.