Second...er, third time’s the charm? Frankly, we’ve lost count, but we’re still cautiously optimistic to hear that Singapore is now studying a proposal from Hong Kong to reopen travel borders safely. The news came on March 29 from Minister for Transport Ong Ye Kung, who said that Singapore “will be responding to Hong Kong shortly”.
There will be two conditions for the resumption of travel between the two countries, said Hong Kong’s Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau in response to media queries. COVID-19 testing before departure and after arrival will be required, and so will vaccination “for our own protection”.
This latest news comes amidst days of zero locally transmitted cases in Hong Kong, after an outbreak in early March led to a spike in cases followed by widespread testing and quarantines in the city. Now, Hong Kong is easing COVID-19 restrictions – they will be reopening pools and beaches from April 1 and shortening the quarantine period from countries deemed low to medium risk, including Singapore, Australia and New Zealand.
Don’t pack your bags yet, though. Singapore and Hong Kong have deferred the air travel bubble before: once on November 21, a day before flights were scheduled to take off, and again in December. Still, there’s no harm dreaming about Hong Kong's bustling street markets and delectable cuisine – we’re right there with you.
Read more:
Singapore in talks to open a travel corridor to Batam and Bintan
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