Hong Kong and Singapore are establishing a 'travel bubble'

Hong Kong and Singapore have agreed to launch an air travel bubble beginning 26 May to help revive cross-border air travel. Travelers going between the two destinations will not have to undergo quarantine, as long as they fulfill the conditions of traveling within the bubble.

The air route between Hong Kong and Singapore was among the busiest in the Asia-Pacific region before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, as they enjoy strong trade, investment, finance, tourism and people-to-people ties. Conditions going forward include that passengers departing from Hong Kong are required to be vaccinated at least two weeks in advance. Travelers in both directions must test negative for the virus within three days of departure and again on arrival. They must also travel on designated flights that only serve fellow travel-bubble passengers.

To start off cautiously, there will only be one flight per day in each direction for the first two weeks, carrying a maximum of 200 passengers. The passenger’s travel history prior to departure will also be taken into account. They are required to have no travel history to any place other than Singapore or Hong Kong in the 14 days prior to departure, and the respective compulsory quarantine periods arising from prior visits outside both destinations does not count towards that period.

This is due to the spread of mutated strains of COVID-19 around the world, and the possibility of infected people having an incubation period of more than 14 days. Travelers from both areas are also required to download the other destinations' contact-tracing app prior to their departure—Singapore's TraceTogether and Hong Kong's LeaveHomeSafe mobile applications.

Travelers should note that the travel 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. Further information on the travel bubble can be found on the official website here.

This article was first published on October 16, 2020 and updated on April 27, 2021.

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