Air travel bubble will go on, Hong Kong visitors to take Covid-19 test on arrival: CAAS

[SINGAPORE] The first few flights under a travel arrangement between Hong Kong and Singapore will proceed as planned on Sunday but travellers from Hong Kong will have to go for a Covid-19 test upon arriving in Singapore.

The additional requirement, which will take effect on Sunday, comes after a rise in the number of Covid-19 cases in Hong Kong in recent days. Visitors from Hong Kong were previously required to take the test only prior to departure for Singapore.

Revealing the change on Saturday, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said visitors will need to take the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test at Changi Airport as "a precautionary measure".

"More cases are expected in Hong Kong over the next few days due to the emergence of new clusters," said the CAAS in a statement.

Hong Kong reported 26 cases on Friday, with its health secretary Sophia Chan describing the situation as "severe".

"The Singapore and Hong Kong health authorities are in close contact and monitoring the situation," the CAAS added.

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The PCR test here will cost S$196 per traveller, but this will be waived in the first week from Nov 22 to 28 to allow travellers to adjust to the change, said the CAAS.

Travellers must immediately take private transport to a declared place of accommodation - a hotel or home (for Singapore residents) - for self-isolation while waiting for the test results, which will take about six to eight hours.

The Singapore-Hong Kong air travel bubble arrangement is the Republic's first since border restrictions were imposed amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Under the arrangement, there will be one flight a day into each city and a quota of 200 travellers per flight from Sunday.

Travellers between Singapore and Hong Kong will have to take Covid-19 tests, in lieu of serving quarantine or stay-home notices.

There will be no restrictions on the purpose of travel, and no need for a controlled itinerary, but travellers are required to meet eligibility criteria and adhere to the prevailing border control measures and public health requirements of both cities.

Under the terms of the arrangement, travel will be suspended for two weeks if the seven-day moving average of the daily number of unlinked Covid-19 cases is more than five in either Singapore or Hong Kong.

The figure for Hong Kong is currently at 2.14, said the CAAS on Saturday.

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, the authority added.

Prevailing border measures - a seven-day Stay Home Notice (SHN) in the case of travellers from Hong Kong - will then apply upon entry into Singapore.

A Singapore Airlines spokesperson said the airline is closely monitoring the situation and will work with the authorities on the air travel bubble flights.

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