Clicky

October 6, 2024
Moderna's vaccine has a significant advantage over Pfizer's

Latest news from around the world

Travelers push their luggage in the departure hall of Hong Kong International Airport on October 19.
Travelers push their luggage in the departure hall of Hong Kong International Airport on October 19. Jerome Favre/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Flights between Singapore and Hong Kong will go ahead as part of the planned travel bubble which begins November 22, despite a recent rise in Covid-19 cases in Hong Kong.

There will be additional measures, however, according to Singapore’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAAS.)

Travelers from Hong Kong will be required to take a Covid-19 PCR test upon arriving at Changi Airport that will cost 196 Singapore dollars ($145), except for the first week, to give travelers time to “adjust to this change.” Travelers will need to self-isolate until they receive their results, which will take about six to eight hours.

“The additional requirement is a precautionary measure given the rise of COVID-19 cases in Hong Kong over the past few days, and is provided for under the Singapore-Hong Kong ATB agreement,” CAAS said.

The travel bubble will be suspended if the seven-day average of unlinked cases, or cases with an unknown origin, exceeds five per day, CAAS added. Hong Kong’s current average is 2.14. 

“The threshold will be exceeded if there are more than 22 unlinked cases in Hong Kong over the next three days. This will trigger a two-day notice period, after which suspension will come into effect,” a news release from the CAAS said.

If this happens, there will be a two-day notice before the bubble is suspended and a seven-day Stay Home Notice (SHN) will be applied for travelers from Hong Kong into Singapore. 

“Hong Kong has a comprehensive public health surveillance system and the overall incidence rate is still low,” CAAS said.