These days, when the authorities announce that a travel bubble with Hong Kong is in the works, residents don’t get excited and book flights; they place bets on when it will be called off instead.
Thanks to the unpredictable nature of the coronavirus, we can never be sure when it’s risk-free to travel to another country.
And since both countries want their residents to be safe, even the smallest hint of a new outbreak could lead to a proposed travel bubble being cancelled.
SG-HK Travel Bubble Burst Again
An air travel bubble between Singapore and Hong Kong was supposed to be announced yesterday (22 Apr), but was called off according to Bloomberg sources.
This is the second time in five months that the travel bubble has been postponed.
The bubble was first announced in November last year, after which residents of both countries purchased flight tickets.
But not long after, the travel bubble was suspended.
Earlier this month, Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said an agreement on the air travel bubble would be announced “soon”, with Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam expressing similar sentiments.
However, for some unknown reason, the bubble has burst once more, and according to Bloomberg, the Singapore authorities were the ones who called it off.
MOT: Singapore Will Announce Air Travel Bubble With Hong Kong “Hopefully Very Soon”
In response to the reports of another postponement, a spokesman for the Ministry of Transport said the two countries have been in close discussions on the proposed travel arrangement.
However, no date has been fixed yet.
“We have not fixed a date to announce the resumption of the bubble, but will do so once we are ready, hopefully very soon,” the ministry’s spokesman said.
Spike in Dormitory Infections Could Have Caused Delay
While the COVID-19 situation in Hong Kong is improving, Singapore might be facing a resurgence of the virus.
A COVID-19 cluster at Westlite Woodlands dormitory recently formed after a 35-year-old Bangladeshi worker tested positive for the coronavirus.
18 other residents in the dormitory have tested positive since.
The authorities also confirmed its first case of the B.1.351 strain of COVID-19 – also known as the South African variant – in the country.
This, along with a spike in community cases, could be the reason the authorities called off the travel bubble.
While the announcement is said to be coming “very soon”, you might want to postpone your excitement until you’re actually on the flight headed to the city known as the “Fragrant Harbour.”
Featured Image: Ronnie Chua / Shutterstock.com
Here’s a simplified summary of the South Korea martial law that even a 5-year-old would understand:
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