A long-awaited quarantine-free travel bubble between Hong Kong and Singapore will open on May 26, albeit with more restrictions than had been initially in place, the governments of both regions announced.
The bubble will begin with a single, 200-traveler flight per day in each direction, with Cathay Pacific operating the bubble flight from Hong Kong to Singapore and Singapore Airlines operating it from Singapore to Hong Kong. That will increase to two daily flights in each direction on June 10, with flights allocated evenly between Singapore-based and Hong Kong-based carriers, per the agreement.
Singapore and Hong Kong had planned to start their bubble last November but had to postpone it due to the Covid-19 situation worsening in Hong Kong. That situation has seen "gradual stabilization" since February, and the pandemic has remained under control in Singapore, according to the governments' statement.
"It has been a long few months, but the conditions are now ripe again to re-launch the [air travel bubble]," Singapore Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said in a statement. "Both sides will need to stay very vigilant in the next month, so that we can launch the first flights smoothly."
The new arrangement has added restrictions compared with the November agreement. Originally, travelers were required to have no travel history outside of Hong Kong or Singapore within 14 days of departure. Now, that window has been extended so that any time in a mandatory quarantine period does not count toward the 14-day requirement. Hong Kong travelers in the bubble are required to be fully vaccinated—at least 14 days out from their final vaccine dose—and travelers in both directions must use the respective contract tracing apps in use by Singapore and Hong Kong. Per the original agreement, travelers must also test negative both prior to departure and upon arrival.
The bubble will be suspended for two weeks if the seven-day moving average of daily unlinked local Covid-19 cases reaches higher than five, and it will resume only after that period and after three subsequent days with daily unlinked cases below three and a seven-day moving average below five in both locations.