Hong Kong and Singapore will now allow quarantine-free travel between them starting May 26
Officials from both countries announced the implementation of the long-delayed travel bubble Monday.
Singapore said travelers coming from Hong Kong will need to be fully vaccinated two weeks before their date of departure. Hong Kong said it will not be imposing the same restriction for travelers from Singapore coming into the city.
Both governments said there will be some exemptions for the travel bubble. Children below 16 years ol, people who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons and people holding non-Hong Kong or non-Singapore travel documents will not be to travel between the two nations.
Travelers from both countries will need to pass a COVID-19 test before their departure and another test when they arrive. Officials said designated lanes will be set up in airports in Singapore and Hong Kong for post-arrival tests.
Under the new Hong Kong-Singapore travel bubble, both countries agreed to have one daily flight in each direction for up to a maximum of 200 passengers per flight. Officials said flights will be increased to two per day on June 10 if the coronavirus situation improves.
If the coronavirus situation worsens, the two governments have agreed to immediately suspend the travel bubble. Under the agreement, the travel bubble will be suspended if the daily average of untraceable Covid-19 cases in one week reaches more than five in either country.
Hong Kong's secretary for commerce and economic development, Edward Yau Tang-wah, said his office and its Singaporean counterpart will be implementing pandemic precautions to ensure that the travel bubble will continue.
"The relaunch of the air-travel bubble not only meets the aspirations of the people and business communities for cross-border travel but also signifies that gradual resumption of cross-border travel is achievable through mutual collaboration among different places," Yau said.
Yau said they are aware of the risks involved in the relaunching of the travel bubble, including the emergence of a new mutated strain. He said both governments will be imposing additional safeguards to mitigate risks.
