S'pore-Hong Kong air travel bubble won't begin amid heightened alert period
SINGAPORE — The Singapore-Hong Kong air travel bubble (ATB) will not begin amid the current Phase Two (Heightened Alert) measures.
In response to queries, the Ministry of Transport (MOT) said in a media statement on Tuesday (20 July), "Given the recent surge in community cases and the imposition of Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) measures in Singapore till 18 August, both Mr Iswaran, Singapore’s Minister for Transport, and Mr Edward Yau, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, have jointly agreed to resume discussions on the Singapore-Hong Kong ATB only when the COVID-19 situation allows.
"Both parties will remain in close contact and monitor the public health situation in both places before taking stock in late August on the ATB."
The ATB has been delayed from its launch several times since it was mooted in November last year.
The original launch on 22 November last year was suspended for two weeks due to a surge in COVID-19 cases in Hong Kong. It was later delayed indefinitely on 1 December.
Then, in May this year, a proposed start date of 26 May was deferred again, due to the rise in unlinked cases in the community in Singapore.
On 10 June, MOT said that a review of the ATB is set for early this month.
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