If you’ve been keeping up, then you’ll know that travelling might be a thing soon.
Previously, it was reported that Singapore has announced a two-way travel bubble with Hong Kong.
This allows general travellers to visit the other country without needing to be quarantined. You do need to take a compulsory coronavirus test, but we’ll get back to that soon.
Seems pretty worth it, especially with the low number of cases in both countries right now.
Until you realise that the price of air tickets also got jacked up.
Singapore Airline’s return economy seats to Hong Kong went up from $400 last Thursday afternoon to $558 last Friday morning.
And that’s not to mention the business class seats.
Today, we also factor in that compulsory virus testing we mentioned above.
Estimated Price of Coronavirus Tests
According to South China Morning Post, it was reported by healthcare experts that the Covid-19 testing could add up to more than S$800.
On top of your accommodations and already more expensive plane tickets…you can do the math.
Teo Yik Ying, the dean of NUS’ Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, said that travellers could face a maximum of four tests.
Two will be done pre-departure and another two for post-departure.
Various Factors To Consider Before Travelling
However, Teo cites various other concerns too.
He says that some could feel ‘fatigue’ from having to go through so many tests, and bigger families may be deterred.
A Nanyang Technological University tourism expert also mentioned that the S$800 cost may discourage a number of people from travelling too.
Especially those who have lower income or lost their jobs due to the pandemic.
And just because both countries have a low number of cases, doesn’t mean you’re totally safe from the virus while travelling.
Low-virus doesn’t mean no-virus.
Testing
Another important that was brought up was the length of PCR testing.
These tests look for fragments of the virus’ genetic material in a patient sample and are considered one of the top ways of virus testing.
The problem is that it takes around 48 hours after swabbing since the samples need to be processed at a laboratory.
Teo says that testing would eventually need to become more affordable.
Which makes you wonder: when would we be able to bust out the breathalyser tests?
These are similar to the ones that test for alcohol in drink-drivers, but for COVID-19 instead.
The developers, Breathonix, have reported a 90% accuracy rate and are in the midst of making it better.
You may also recall way back in March when Biolidics Limited made a test kit that could detect the virus under 10 minutes.
These test kits are able to detect the virus with an accuracy of more than 95% using serum, plasma, or whole blood samples.
At the end of the day, travelling will pose a risk regardless.
It’s just whether it’s on your wallet, health, or both.
Here’s a simplified summary of the South Korea martial law that even a 5-year-old would understand:
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