Deferment of HK-SG Travel Bubble was a Joint Decision by Both Countries

By
Boon Hun
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Many things happened last week, one of which is the Hong Kong-Singapore Air Travel Bubble (ATB).

Before it could even have a chance to take off, the Covid-19 situation in Hong Kong worsened and the entire ATB was put off for two weeks after a big and sudden “U-turn” by the Singapore authorities.

Now, you’re wondering: Who pulled the plug temporarily? Was it Singapore who thought it was too dangerous to keep the borders open to a country that’s potentially facing a fourth wave?

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Turns out, it’s not.

Deferment of HK-SG Travel Bubble was a Joint Decision by Both Countries

According to the Minister of Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing, the decision was something that both Hong Kong and Singapore both agreed on.

Minister Chan pointed out that during the formation of the ATB agreement, both sides have hashed out benchmarks upon which the ATB will be suspended and launch.

Previously, CAAS has announced that if the 7-day moving average for unlinked COVID-19 cases is more than 5 in Singapore or Hong Kong, the travel bubble might end up getting suspended for two weeks.

The air travel bubble can only resume when the daily average moving figure of unlinked cases on the last day of suspension is lesser than 5.

The deferment was made “fast”, he said, because of the spike in the number of cases in Hong Kong.

It’s All Within The Framework

Hong Kong and Singapore share data on Covid-19 infection cases with each other on a daily basis, Minister Chan said.

So when they knew that the conditions in Hong Kong have changed, both sides found it easy to make the decisions based on the conditions that were previously set in place.

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That was also the reason why the Singapore government made a huge u-turn on Saturday, one day before the ATB takes off.

Minister Chan said that they deferred the travel bubble the moment “the threshold is breached”.

It was added that both Singapore and Hong Kong will be looking at the situation closely and make a decision based on the framework.

Previously, Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung had said that they will be looking at the travel bubble again in two weeks’ time.

Then What Happens To Flight Tickets For The HK-SG ATB?

On a separate note, SIA announced that customers who, in view of the deferment of the travel bubble, decided they don’t want to travel to Hong Kong anymore can get a “full refund for the unutilised portion of their flight tickets”.

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The same goes for Cathay Pacific, the other airline handling ATB flights between Singapore and Hong Kong.

Cathay Pacific told CNA that passengers can change their booking, request for a full refund or exchange their airline ticket for credits without charge.

Both airlines’ ATB flights have been converted into non-ATB flights to Hong Kong.

Featured Image: Fedor Selivanov / Shutterstock.com

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Boon Hun
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