No date fixed to resume Singapore-Hong Kong travel: Lawrence Wong

This article is more than 12 months old

Apr 23, 2021 06:00 am

Singapore and Hong Kong have been discussing the possibility of resuming air travel between the two cities, but no fixed date has been set yet, said Education Minister Lawrence Wong yesterday.

Citing this as an example of how the Covid-19 situation is fluid, he said new initiatives like travel bubbles can be launched only when it is safe to do so.

"That requires us to monitor the situation. It requires us to ensure that on both sides, for travel, the situation is appropriate and safe before such an initiative can take off. Even after the initiative is launched, and travel were to start, things can change. You could have cases going up on either side and it may well happen that along the way, something like this may have to be suspended, a pause in order for the infection to be controlled on either side."

Mr Wong was speaking during a virtual press conference held by the multi-ministry task force on Covid-19, which he co-chairs with Health Minister Gan Kim Yong. His remarks come after media reports said Singapore and Hong Kong had called off plans to announce the air travel bubble yesterday. The cancellation was initiated by the Singapore side, according to a Bloomberg report.

In a separate media statement, Singapore's Ministry of Transport said yesterday the two cities have been in close consultations on the travel arrangement, initially slated to take off in November last year. It was postponed to this year, after a surge in Covid-19 cases in Hong Kong.

Mr Wong said such delays and changes in plans for safety reasons are the reality in the new normal. He also said no changes are being made to the easing of attendance caps on events like weddings, business conferences, live performances and sports events from tomorrow.