Travel Bubble Delay Likely

There is a high chance that the travel bubble arrangement between Hong Kong and Singapore may not resume as scheduled on May 26, Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Edward Yau said today. 

Mr Yau told reporters that the Minister for Transport of the Singapore government had updated him yesterday and this morning on the situation in Singapore, particularly on the recent increase of confirmed COVID-19 cases within the city-state.

“He shared with me that there are additional measures to be taken by the Singapore government locally so as to curb the recent increase. So we have full confidence that the Singapore government will continue to do so.

“But we have also agreed earlier on a mechanism on which we will start, resume or suspend the bilateral travelling. The Singaporean minister told me that there might be a high chance that the travel bubble arrangement may not be able to resume under the agreed mechanism as scheduled on May 26.”

Mr Yau added that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government would be reviewing the situation, particularly in the next couple of days, in light of additional measures to be taken by the Singapore government.

“I will be talking to the new Minister for Transport who will be succeeding Ong Ye Kung early next week. So we will continue to review the situation and give the community the earliest news on when and how we will be moving ahead or any other changes.”