Coronavirus: Hong Kong, Singapore put travel bubble on hold for second time amid city state’s spike in Covid-19 cases

The move follows morning meeting between Hong Kong commerce chief Edward Yau and Singapore transport minister S. Iswaran

Singapore has seen a sharp uptick in unlinked cases, reporting 42 such infections over the past week, including 11 on Monday

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The governments of Hong Kong and Singapore have for a second time placed a highly anticipated travel bubble on hold. Photo: Getty Images

Published: 4:06pm, 17 May 2021Updated: 11:32am, 18 May 2021

The long-awaited travel bubble between Singapore and Hong Kong has been put on hold indefinitely for a second time amid a sharp resurgence in untraceable Covid-19 cases in the city state, the two governments have said.

Monday’s decision to suspend the quarantine-free corridor, which had been set to launch on May 26, followed a morning meeting between Hong Kong commerce chief Edward Yau Tang-wah and Singapore transport minister S. Iswaran.

A further announcement on when to resume the launch of the travel bubble will be made on or before June 13, when Singapore’s current round of anti-pandemic measures are due to expire. The two cities would continue to exchange data and closely review developments, a Hong Kong government statement said.

The Singapore government said travellers were still allowed to continue their journeys on non-designated flights, but they would be subject to the prevailing quarantine arrangements. Singapore residents returning to the city state would be subject to seven days of home quarantine upon arrival.

A previous travel bubble was suspended on November 22 amid an outbreak in Hong Kong that accompanied the city’s fourth wave of infections.

Singapore’s worsening coronavirus caseload has also led to Hong Kong tightening travel restrictions on arrivals from the city state, which is now classified as a high-risk destination.