Singaporeans stranded by coronavirus embrace island daycations and private yachts

The easing of the country’s partial lockdown in mid-June has provided some relief, but holidays overseas remain largely off limits

Private jets can be chartered for a two-hour customised flight, complete with three-course meal and champagne at 30,000 feet, no quarantine required

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Singaporeans have become so eager to travel that they’ve been chartering private jets without leaving the country. Photo: Handout

Published: 1:00pm, 26 Oct 2020Updated: 1:26pm, 26 Oct 2020

Whether it’s chartering a private jet for a flight to nowhere or hiring a luxury yacht, some in Singapore are going to extraordinary lengths to cure the cabin fever that’s set in as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

For many – expats and locals alike – the beauty of the city state, besides its year-round balmy weather and efficiency, has always been its hyper connectivity. But travel curbs aimed at shutting out the virus mean leaving Singapore is basically off the table, a challenge for those of the financial hub’s 5.6 million residents used to popping to a Malaysian resort for the weekend, or scooting over to Bali.

Sergey Tkachev has taken to the sea. The Russian businessman chartered a yacht from White Label Charters around Singapore’s southern islands, a collection of sleepy islets lapped by green waves. He’s taken the boat out four times now – being careful not to venture into international waters.

“It’s been a big stress for us not being able to travel,” said Tkachev, who has lived in Singapore for 12 years. “People with money usually travel every month, but now we can’t. It’s depressing.”

At just 50km from east to west and 27km from north to south, Singapore is tiny. Drive for 30 minutes either way, and you’re almost in neighbouring Malaysia, or the South China Sea. News last week of an imminent travel bubble that wouldn’t require quarantine between Singapore and Hong Kong was met with instant excitement. The price of air tickets spiked overnight and bookings were made even though few details have been announced – including when the corridor will even start.

Singaporeans are a mobile bunch, spending more than S$34 billion (US$25 billion) on overseas travel in 2018, compared with the some US$12.5 billion that residents of similarly sized Denmark spent on international tourism the same year.

The easing of the country’s partial lockdown in mid-June has provided some relief, but despite a few green corridors for business travel, holidays overseas remain largely off limits. Many of Singapore’s migrant labourers, those most affected by the pandemic, have found themselves restricted not just to the island, but to their living quarters.