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Another surge in new corona infections in Hong Kong is torpedoing a bilateral deal with Singapore. The no-quarantine air travel agreement was seen as revolutionary for the region. Instead, hundreds now have to unpack again.
In Hong Kong, the number of new corona infections is on the rise again.
The small flight corridor between Hong Kong and Singapore, announced with much fanfare, is now nothing. At least not as expected this Sunday (November 22). Less than 24 hours before the flights opened, the two governments suspended the bilateral project. The reason: in Hong Kong there is again an increase in crown cases.
“Travel Bubble”: great fear despite the low numbers
A daily flight in both directions was planned without passengers having to remain in quarantine for fourteen days at their destination. A Covid-19 test before departure should now be sufficient for you to travel to the other territory. But the news that 43 new infections were recorded in Hong Kong on Saturday, 36 of which apparently due to local broadcasts, put off both administrations. In Hong Kong there is already talk of an imminent “fourth wave”.
In two weeks, Singapore Transport Minister NGO Ye Kung announced, the flights of the travel bubble could perhaps begin. The prerequisite, however, is that the virus is under control in both metropolises. Hong Kong Commerce Minister Edward Yau was covered up and refrained from naming a new date on Saturday. Behind this is the fear that there may be more Covid clusters that have slipped through the Hong Kong authorities’ tracking network.
In Singapore, this risk is currently much lower. The republic managed to keep the number of new infections on the order of one digit for weeks. However, they still adhere to strict quarantine rules for foreigners. And the regime of mask requirements, entry bans, quarantine and tracking is unlikely to be significantly relaxed even before the end of 2021.
Strict containment strategy
The suspension of the bilateral plan and the rather low number of new infections, even in the case of Hong Kong, illustrate the rigorous containment strategies that are being pursued in East Asia. As in other countries in the region, such as Thailand, Vietnam and New Zealand, governments are struggling for the currently rather illusory optimum of no new infections. Conditions and relative tolerance in Europe, where infections are much higher, quarantine rules are handled more loosely, and contact tracing is much more incomplete, meet little understanding in Asia.
What about reservations? Hundreds of people who have already packed their bags for the Sunday trip or booked for the following days are now the lacquers. The population in both Hong Kong and Singapore eagerly awaits travel opportunities: both territories are barely the size of a medium-sized Swiss canton, with populations of 7.5 and 5.7 million. This leads to density stress.
It is not a reliable solution
There is no uniform compensation for either Cathay Pacific or Singapore Airlines. Depending on the ticket and the purchase price, they range from free postponement of flights or vouchers for subsequent bookings to refund of the purchase price. The postponement is certainly a setback for the two airlines: both carriers saw in the “travel bubble” a starting signal and a sign of easing of the entry rules in the agreement with other countries. Hopes for a revival of the troubled business were high: neither Singapore Airlines nor Cathay have a domestic market and both are completely dependent on international traffic.
Travel bubbles remain vulnerable. They require relatively low crown numbers and identical strategies for fighting the disease. The fact that airlines and countries don’t go very far with this is also demonstrated by an agreement that was concluded weeks ago between Australia and New Zealand. As cases of Covid 19 in Australia are repeatedly rising to double digits, the deal only works in one direction: Australia no longer requires travelers from New Zealand to be isolated upon arrival. New Zealand, however, has returned to the quarantine regime. According to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, nothing should change at least until Christmas.
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