Coronavirus: Singapore-Australia travel bubble delayed; cases fall in South Korea

Opening up travel remains a priority, but the scale of Sydney’s outbreak means plans are on hold, the Australian trade minister said on Sunday

Meanwhile, Australia reported its first Covid-19 death of 2021, and new cases dipped slightly in South Korea after antivirus curbs were tightened

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A proposed travel bubble with Singapore has been delayed amid an outbreak that forced Australia’s biggest city into a renewed lockdown, the latter country’s trade minister said. Photo: Reuters

Published: 10:30am, 11 Jul 2021Updated: 11:01pm, 11 Jul 2021

Sydney’s virus outbreak means plans for an Australia-Singapore travel bubble have been delayed until at least the end of the year, the Australian trade minister said on Sunday.

While opening up the travel corridor remains a priority, the scale of the outbreak that has forced the country’s largest city into a renewed lockdown means plans are on hold, Dan Tehan told The Sydney Morning Herald.

“It has been put back due to the third wave of the virus,” he said. “The hope might be towards the end of the year that you could look at a travel bubble with Singapore.”

A Covid-19 warning sign is seen at Bondi Beach in Sydney on Saturday. Photo: EPA

Following the initial discussions, the two countries have not committed to a specific date for the travel bubble so far.

While Australia was an early success story in the fight against the coronavirus, a sluggish vaccine roll-out means even as the rest of the world opens up the country’s borders are expected to stay shut until mid-2022. Just 26 per cent of the population have received their first jab, compared with 68.5 per cent in Britain, according to Bloomberg’s Vaccine Tracker.

When borders do open, Tehan said he expects vaccine passports would be required for travel for years. “It could be like the little yellow booklet for yellow fever.”