SG-HK travel bubble arrangement called off because of rising covid-19 cases in SG due to cases from India

[LITTLEREDDOT]

WTF.
Thousands of Sinkies and Hong Kongers cannot travel because SG unable to stop imported covid-19 cases from India.
Who benefits? Indians travelling to SG.
Who suffers: Sinkies and Hong Kongers.

Singapore, Hong Kong said to delay travel bubble announcement

Singapore and Hong Kong have been working on trying to revive their bubble plans.PHOTOS: KELVIN CHNG, REUTERS

Apr 22, 2021

SINGAPORE (BLOOMBERG) - Singapore and Hong Kong called off an announcement planned for Thursday (April 22) on an air travel bubble between Asia's two major financial hubs, according to people familiar with the matter, the second time in five months the highly anticipated arrangement appears to have run into obstacles.
No reason was immediately provided on why the announcement - which Bloomberg reported on Wednesday was expected as soon as Thursday - was postponed and a new date has not been set, said the people, who asked not to be identified as they are not authorised to speak publicly.
The cancellation was initiated by the Singapore side, one of the people said.
Singapore's Ministry of Transport and Hong Kong's Commerce and Economic Development Bureau did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Singapore and Hong Kong have been working on trying to revive their bubble plans after a previously scheduled November start was shelved due to a virus flare-up in Hong Kong.
The new start date for the bubble was planned for May, people familiar have said, though that is now uncertain.

While it's unclear what triggered the postponement of the announcement, it comes as Singapore faces new virus cases among its migrant worker community, which underpinned the city's major outbreak last year.
Reopening to international travel is key for Singapore and Hong Kong, which do not have domestic travel markets.
Singapore Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said earlier this month that he hopes an agreement on the air travel bubble would be announced "soon", echoing Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam's earlier comments.
In an announcement on Wednesday, Singapore eased quarantine rules for those travelling to Hong Kong. Travellers from Hong Kong will have to stay in home isolation for seven days upon arriving in Singapore, down from a previous rule of 14 days in a government-chosen hotel.
There are now concerns that a resurgence of the virus in Singapore could upend the easing plans. The city, which saw a massive outbreak among its army of low-wage migrant workers last year, said on Thursday that 11 more workers at Westlite Woodlands dormitory had tested positive for Covid-19.
Among them, 10 had previously been infected and recovered, said a government statement.
The flare-up raises fears that virus is again circulating among the workers, who live in close conditions in accommodation segregated from the wider community. Their movements are highly restricted by the government, though the rest of the population has seen social and economic activity normalise after Singapore contained its outbreak last year.

 

[laksaboy]

LOL... 'delay'. So desperate to salvage face.

 

[laksaboy]

Reopening to international travel is key for Singapore and Hong Kong, which do not have domestic travel markets.

We have Sinkie Rediscover vouchers. Good enough?

 

[bobby]

Hongkees not stupid...they see SG allow free flow of Ah Nehs they also scared.

 

[kaninabuchaojibye]

ownself pwn ownself
O B GOOT
haaaa

 

[zhihau]

Fuck CECA!

 

[sweetiepie]

KNN my uncle think any human with half a brain also know how to choose KNN

 

[kaninabuchaojibye]

KNN my uncle think any human with half a brain also know how to choose KNN

no cuntry will want a travel bubble with peesai as it continues to allow indian flights whether direct or transit
songbo?

 

[CPTMiller]

HK SIN travels bubbles gone

 

[Eisenhut]

OYK si bei jinx

Arm chio at all gan jiong spider who bought tickets

 

[laksaboy]

OYK si bei jinx

Arm chio at all gan jiong spider who bought tickets

Doesn't matter, Bubble Ong will be the new Hell Minister, he will jinx Hellcare next.

Those twits are less kancheong... more of a case of having too much faith in the PAP govt.

 

[theblackhole]

ownself do ownself in
eat dung
drink urine
eat shit
drink m&d
ownself dig ownself
really shitty

 

[blackmondy]

Too bad. No chance for sinkies to be CCPee's hostages for the time being.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

S'pore unlikely to meet criteria for air travel bubble with Hong Kong: Ong Ye Kung​

The bubble was slated to take off on May 26, six months after its initial planned launch in November last year. PHOTOS: ONG WEE JIN, AFP

Toh Ting Wei

May 14, 2021

SINGAPORE - The air travel bubble to allow for quarantine-free travel between Singapore and Hong Kong is likely to be delayed yet again, given the rising number of Covid-19 community cases in Singapore.
Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung on Friday (May 14) said: "It is very likely that Singapore will not be able to meet the resumption criteria.
"What we will do now is to closely monitor the numbers the next few days to review the start date, and early next week, we will make a decision and an announcement."
The bubble was slated to take off on May 26, six months after its initial planned launch in November last year. It was deferred by both parties due to the worsening Covid-19 situation in Hong Kong.
Both cities had agreed that the air travel bubble will be suspended when the seven-day moving average of the unlinked community cases in either Singapore or Hong Kong increases to above five.
There have been 15 unlinked Covid-19 cases in Singapore in the past week. This works out to a moving average of about two cases a day, which is still below the threshold to trigger a pause in the travel bubble.

Mr Ong, who was speaking at a virtual press conference held by the task force combating the pandemic, said he had briefed Hong Kong's Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau on Friday morning about the Covid-19 situation in Singapore.
He said that both cities are strongly committed to the bubble, but have to start it safely. They would also respect the resumption mechanisms that both sides had agreed on.
Mr Ong said that Hong Kong is a "very safe region" now, with daily Covid-19 cases ranging between zero to two.
Earlier this week, both cities had expressed optimism that the bubble could still take flight.
On Wednesday, Mr Yau noted that the seven-day moving average of unlinked cases in both cities was below the threshold of five that would trigger a pause in the arrangement.
Singapore's Transport Ministry the same day said that Hong Kong was "recording very low or zero daily cases currently", adding that it will continue to monitor the Covid-19 situation in both cities.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

S'pore-Hong Kong travel bubble deferred again after Covid-19 cases spike in S'pore​

The travel bubble's new launch date will be reviewed towards the end of phase two of Singapore's reopening.PHOTOS: DESMOND FOO, REUTERS

Toh Ting Wei

May 17, 2021

SINGAPORE - The air travel bubble (ATB) to allow for quarantine-free travel between Singapore and Hong Kong will be delayed again, after a spike in Covid-19 cases in Singapore.
Both cities had said the air travel bubble - which was due to take off on May 26 - would be suspended when the seven-day moving average of unlinked community cases in either Singapore or Hong Kong increases to more than five.
As at Monday, the seven-day moving average of unlinked community cases in Singapore had increased to six. There have also been dozens of other linked cases reported in the community in the past week.
The Ministry of Transport (MOT) said on Monday (May 17) that Transport Minister S. Iswaran had a meeting in the morning with Hong Kong Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau on the issue.
"Both sides remain strongly committed to launching the ATB safely," said MOT. "However, in the light of the recent increase in unlinked community cases, Singapore is unable to meet the criteria to start the Singapore-Hong Kong ATB."
Both sides have therefore agreed to defer the launch of the ATB to protect the health of travellers and the public in these two places, MOT added.



It said the two cities will monitor the public health situation and review the new launch date of the ATB towards the end of phase two (heightened alert) of Singapore's reopening.
MOT said airlines will contact affected passengers to offer help.
Travellers can still continue on their trips to Hong Kong on non-ATB flights. But this means that they will face more stringent health and border restrictions in both cities, such as a seven-day stay-home notice when they return to Singapore.
In a Facebook post, Mr Iswaran acknowledged that many have been looking to travel under the ATB for various reasons. “I seek your understanding as this is the unpredictable nature of the pandemic,” he said.

A Hong Kong government spokesman said on Monday that both cities will also monitor the effectiveness of more stringent Covid-19 measures implemented in Singapore since Sunday. The measures, such as a ban on dining out, will stay in place till June 13.
“During this period, both sides will continue to maintain communication, exchange relevant data and statistics, and review developments closely before deciding on the way forward with the inaugural flights under the ATB,” said the Hong Kong spokesman.
“A further announcement will be made on or before June 13.”
The bubble was slated to take off on May 26, six months after its initial planned launch on Nov 22 last year. It was first deferred last year by both parties owing to the worsening Covid-19 situation in Hong Kong.
Former transport minister Ong Ye Kung, who is now health minister, had said last Friday that both cities are strongly committed to the bubble, but have to start it safely. They would also respect the resumption mechanisms that both sides had agreed on.
Mr Aaron Wong, 33, who had made bookings for both rounds of planned air travel bubble flights, said the suspension was disappointing but understandable given the worsening Covid-19 situation in Singapore.
The founder of frequent flier website MileLion said that even if the bubble had launched as planned, Hong Kong tourists coming to Singapore would not have much to do owing to restrictions such as a cap on social gatherings and a ban on dining out.
S'pore, Hong Kong defer air travel bubble again amid rising Covid-19 cases | THE BIG STORY

Hong Kong’s residents may also feel uneasy about an influx of Singapore visitors, he added.
“When the revised ATB launch date is announced, I will make bookings again, with the hope that third time’s the charm,” Mr Wong said.
“Of course, you take sensible precautions, such as ensuring all your flight/hotel bookings are fully refundable. It also helps if you go in with the mindset that actually travelling is a bonus.”
The share price of national carrier Singapore Airlines, which was due to operate half of the ATB flights, rose 3.11 per cent to close at $4.64, even despite the news of the suspension of the bubble.

 

[tanwahtiu]

Who want to go visit racist BE Chinese HKies shitskins.

Rude, racist against Mainland Chinese and snobbish attitude bastards don't deserve grace from us 华侨人 from SEA.

Fuck Hong Kong shitskins.

Burn HK burn

Hongkees not stupid...they see SG allow free flow of Ah Nehs they also scared.

 

[theblackhole]

no loss lah
hong kong is now dead city
better go to china - safest haven in the world
singapore no scare lah
we have been the biggest importer of south asians
we have the resilience and the capabilities to deal with south asians
so don't worry
south asians give us the immunity
the beautiful covid 1617 - such beautiful bug
thank you for blessing us knnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Hong Kong will assess Singapore's Covid-19 strategy before reviving travel bubble​

Hong Kong said it would need to see if Singapore's new strategy would have any impact on previous arrangements for an air travel bubble.

JUL 6, 2021

HONG KONG (BLOOMBERG) - Hong Kong will assess Singapore's new Covid-19 strategy as the two sides try to revive a quarantine-free travel corridor that was initially planned to open last November but never got off the ground.
"We need to understand more about that new strategy and whether it will have any impact on the arrangements that we have devised," Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said at a briefing on Tuesday (July 6) when asked about the so-called travel bubble.
"The situation is very stable on both sides, so this is something that we will be working very closely on."
Singapore is set to loosen restrictions on activities such as dining out next week as its vaccination rate improves, and more opportunity for travel could open up further down the line.
The country plans to have two-thirds of its population of almost six million fully vaccinated by National Day on Aug 9. As the campaign gathers pace, the Government's stance has shifted towards learning to live with the virus rather than pursuing a "Covid-19-zero" approach of eliminating it altogether.
Hong Kong's vaccination rate has been slower, with only about 22 per cent of the population fully inoculated, according to Bloomberg's Vaccine Tracker.

In the most recent travel bubble plan, Hong Kong said it would be open only to its residents who were fully vaccinated, whereas Singapore did not have such a requirement.
"Now that Singapore also has a very high vaccination rate, another factor that we need to consider on top of what we have agreed previously is whether both sides should require vaccination as a condition for participating in the air travel bubble," Mrs Lam said on Tuesday.
The planned travel bubble was shelved in November after a coronavirus outbreak in Hong Kong. The two sides later agreed to open it on May 26, only for that plan to collapse as well, this time due to a jump in cases in Singapore.
"On facilitating travel on a bilateral basis that is between Hong Kong and other places, I would say that Singapore is still our priority candidate for consideration," Mrs Lam said.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Singaporeans can say goodbye to travelling to Hong Kong for a long, long time.

Hong Kong government urged to scrap travel bubble plan with Singapore

The calls came as Singapore's Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said the two sides are still trying to revive the agreement.PHOTOS: AFP, GIN TAY

Jul 9, 2021

HONG KONG - Hong Kong lawmakers on Friday (July 9) urged the government to give up plans for a travel bubble with Singapore, given the Republic's strategy shift towards learning to live with Covid-19, local media reported.
At a Legislative Council meeting, lawmakers said Hong Kong must hold onto its goal of maintaining zero local Covid-19 infections, so that travel between the territory and the mainland can resume as soon as possible, public broadcaster RTHK reported.
Roundtable lawmaker Michael Tien said Hong Kong should not offer quarantine-free travel to people from places that do not have the same "Covid zero" target.
"The mainland will not tolerate any loopholes at our airport. If Singapore really changes its anti-pandemic target, the government can stop talking to the country about setting up a travel bubble," he said.
As Singapore's vaccination campaign gathers pace, the government's stance has shifted towards learning to live with the virus rather than pursuing a so-called Covid-Zero approach of eliminating it altogether.
Alice Mak of the Federation of Trade Unions said a travel bubble would be beneficial to the tourism industry, but she said "the cost would be too high" if it jeopardises Hong Kong's pandemic situation.
"For places that don't aim to achieve zero infections but hope to live with the virus, we should not have a travel bubble with them," she said.
In response, Health Secretary Sophia Chan said the Hong Kong authorities will continue to communicate with their counterparts in Singapore.
The calls came as Singapore's Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said the two sides are still trying to revive an agreement to allow quarantine-free travel between the two cities.
The arrangement could be used as a model to open to more parts of the world, Mr Ong said in an interview with Bloomberg Television on Friday.
With very low Covid-19 case counts, or none at all on many days, the cities are well positioned to open their borders again, Mr Ong said.
"That gives us common ground to talk again about restarting the air travel bubble," he said, according to Bloomberg.
"I try to not call it bubble as it connotes something very fragile and can easily burst - I try to describe it as air travel corridor now, but the idea is the same."
The plan to launch a travel bubble between Hong Kong and Singapore was first delayed in November last year when the territory battled a wave of new infections, and was postponed again in May when cases surged in Singapore.

 

[laksaboy]

Doesn't matter. Many Hongkies are fleeing HK now. Winnie turned it into a mainland shithole city.