‘HK-Singapore travel bubble may be postponed again’

Officials said on Friday that there is a high chance the planned May 26 launch of a long-delayed travel bubble between Hong Kong and Singapore will be pushed back.

Speaking to reporters, Commerce Secretary Edward Yau said Singapore’s transport minister, Ong Ye-kung, had informed him that because the city state is grappling with a surge in Covid-19 cases, there is a high chance the bubble scheme will not go ahead as scheduled.

“He (Ong) shared with me that there are additional measures to be taken by the Singapore government so as to curb the recent increase,” Yau said.

“We agreed earlier on a mechanism on which we will start, resume or suspend bilateral travelling. Now the Singapore minister has told me that there might be a high chance that the bubble arrangement may not be able to resume under the agreed mechanism”.

Under the agreement, the bubble will be suspended for at least two weeks if the seven-day moving average of unlinked community cases in either city increases to more than five.

Yau said officials on both sides will review the situation again early next week, and make a final decision as soon as possible so that people can adjust their travel plans.

The bubble was originally slated to be launched in November last year, but it never got off the ground because Hong Kong suffered a spike in Covid-19 cases.