Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung announced in a media conference on November 11 that Singapore and Hong Kong will start their air travel bubble on November 22.
The travel bubble will exempt residents from both cities from quarantine or Stay-Home Notice (SHN).
There will be no restrictions on the type of travel or itinerary, which means anyone who wants to travel, regardless of reason for travel, will be able to do so.
The initial plan is to have a "bubble flight", carrying a maximum of 200 travellers each way. These will be designated flights on SIA and Cathay Pacific.
This will increase to two flights a day into each city from December 7.
According to a media release by SIA, those with existing bookings on these air travel bubble (ATB) flights who do not meet the ATB requirements will have the option to be accommodated on Scoot instead.
If the Covid-19 situation deteriorates in either city, the travel bubble arrangements will be suspended.
There will be no stay-home notices for travellers using the ATB.
There will also be no limits on movements for travellers, including the use of public transport.
Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore reiterated how Hong Kong has a low incidence of Covid-19, and good public health surveillance.
Short-term visitors to Singapore will have to install the Trace Together App.
Travellers under the ATB will be subject to mutually recognised Covid-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests and would need to have negative test results.
All travellers, from both sides, need to be tested within 72 hours of departure.
All travellers departing from Singapore to Hong Kong will need to apply for approval to take their pre-departure Covid-19 PCR test if they plan to take their Covid-19 PCR test before December 1, 2020.
They need to apply for approval at least seven days before departure and will need a confirmed flight ticket to Hong Kong in order to apply.
The application for testing approval can be made at https://go.gov.sg/caaspdt.
Upon the receipt of an application approval via email, travellers can contact and take their test at one of the recognised clinics or testing centres or testing institutions in Singapore. The list can be found at https://go.gov.sg/covid19pcrtestproviders.
Singaporean travellers must book tickets on the designated bubble flight, and will have to book a PCR test with ICA, from now till November 30, at least 7 days before departure.
Those who travel to Hong Kong will also have to take an arrival test, which will take up to four hours.
Travellers who test positive for Covid-19 while in Singapore or Hong Kong will have to pay their own medical costs in full.
According to Ong, “The Singapore-Hong Kong Air Travel Bubble enables us to achieve two objectives at the same time – open up our borders in a controlled manner, while maintaining safety in our societies".
Over time the scheme, and the number of flights and passengers, will be reviewed.
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Photo by Sébastien Goldberg on Unsplash and MOT Singapore