The SUN HK : HK, Singapore agree on quarantine-free travel starting May 26

By Daisy CL Mandap

Singapore's Marina Bay Sands (FB photo)

Hong Kong and Singapore have announced details of their “travel bubble” agreement, which allows their residents to travel freely between the two places without undergoing quarantine.

Secretary for Commerce and Development Edward Yau unveiled the resumption of the plan today, Apr 26, in a press conference. The scheme was put on hold in November last year after Hong Kong experienced a surge in Covid-19 cases.

Yau said travelers on either places will have to test negative for Covid-19 within 72 hours before taking their flights, and be tested again on their arrival on the other end.

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In addition, Hong Kong residents will have to get fully vaccinated for coronavirus before being allowed to travel to Singapore. However, those coming in from the city state are not required to get vaccinated.

Asked about the seemingly unequal requirements, Yau said Singapore authorities will have to decide on the travel rules from their end, “taking into consideration their own situation.”

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The initial phase of the scheme will run from May to June 9, during which there will be two designated daily flights, each leaving either Hong Kong or Singapore with a maximum number of 200 passengers.

From Jun 10, the daily flights will be increased to two from each direction, with the same number of passengers.

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Yau said the travel bubble could be suspended for two weeks if the seven-day “moving average” of unlinked coronavirus cases in either place goes up to five.

The government, though Civil Service Secretary Patrick Nip, also announced that all Hong Kong residents stranded in the Mainland will be allowed to return home from Apr 29 without need for quarantine.

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Previously, the privilege was extended only to residents coming back to the SAR from Guangdong Province and Macau.

HK residents coming in from anywhere in the Mainland can now skip quarantine on their return

To ensure a quarantine-free return, residents need to register in advance for a slot in the daily quota of 3,000 if coming through the land border via the Shenzhen Bay port; 2,000 for those taking the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge; and 1,000 through the HK airport.

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They will also have to test negative for a coronavirus test within three days before their flight, and again on arrival in Hong Kong, then 12 days after.

Nip said there’s still no news on when Hong Kong travelers arriving in the mainland will be similarly exempt from the quarantine requirement.

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Meanwhile, four additional Covid-19 cases were reported in Hong Kong today, all of them imported.

A press release issued by the Center for Health Protection showed all the infected travelers had tested positive while in hotel quarantine, and came from different places.

They comprised two women, who each came from Kenya and India; and two men who arrived from Japan and the United States.

The CHP said a total of 155 cases have been recorded in the past 14 days, including 37 local infections of which 17 are from unknown sources.