Hong Kong, Singapore travel bubble to launch on November 22, with passenger quota initially set at 200 per day in each direction

The long-awaited travel bubble between Hong Kong and Singapore will launch on November 22, with the number of people allowed to move quarantine-free in each direction initially limited to 200 per day.

The two governments simultaneously revealed details of the landmark arrangement on Wednesday, noting that travellers would be expected to pay about HK$1,890 per person for up to three tests, and that rapid Covid-19 testing would not be put into use for the travel bubble yet, slowing down movements.

The deal for the world’s first leisure travel bubble was negotiated between the two cities over the course of about two months as Covid-19 infections elsewhere in the world soared to more than 50 million cases and 1.3 million deaths.

“This policy is not easy to come by,” said Edward Yau Tang-wah, Hong Kong’s commerce and economic development secretary. “Whether the bubble can work and sustain [itself] well will depend on cooperation from all sides, including the participation of residents and their efforts in maintaining social distancing.”

Ong Ye Kung, Singapore’s transport minister, said: “This is as close as it gets to cross-border travel pre-Covid-19, and this is only possible because both Singapore and Hong Kong have successfully controlled the spread of Covid-19.”