No date set for S'pore-HK travel bubble to resume

Singapore and Hong Kong have been discussing the possibility of resuming air travel between the two cities, but no fixed date has been set yet, Education Minister Lawrence Wong said yesterday.

Citing this as an example of how the global Covid-19 situation is fluid, he said new initiatives like travel bubbles can be launched only when it is safe to do so.

He added: "That requires us to monitor the situation. It requires us to ensure that on both sides, for travel, the situation is appropriate and safe before such an initiative can take off.

"Even after the initiative is launched, and travel were to start, things can change after that. You could have cases going up on either side, and it may well happen that along the way, something like this may have to be suspended temporarily, a pause in order for the infection to be controlled on either side."

Mr Wong was speaking during a virtual news conference held by the multi-ministry task force on Covid-19, which he co-chairs with Health Minister Gan Kim Yong.

His remarks came after media reports said Singapore and Hong Kong had called off plans to announce the air travel bubble yesterday. The cancellation was initiated by the Singapore side, according to a Bloomberg report.

In a separate media statement, Singapore's Ministry of Transport said yesterday that the two cities have been in close consultations on the travel arrangement, initially slated to take off in November last year. It was postponed to this year, after a surge in Covid-19 cases in Hong Kong last November.

"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 added.

Mr Wong said delays and changes in plans for safety reasons are the reality in the new normal: "From time to time, temporary suspensions or temporary stops may well be needed in order for any outbreak or new cases to be properly contained. That is our overall approach and that is certainly the approach that Hong Kong takes as well."

He said there are no changes being made to the easing of attendance caps on events such as weddings, business conferences, live performances and sports events from tomorrow.

"For now, we have no plans to change the current prevailing rules or to change what has already been announced, but I am sure you appreciate that this is a dynamic situation that is changing by the day."