The plan of Air Travel Bubble (ATB) between Hong Kong and Singapore government has been discussed for almost a month. Although both sides want to revive their stalled economies, no one can ignore the fact that there are risks of public health in the export of travelling. In fact, many of the countries have been discussing a similar idea for a few months. But Hong Kong – Singapore case is a very first case in the world.
What is Travel Bubble?
Due to COVID-19, the global economy has been suffering from depression for a long time. As it seems to start to be under control, the government starts to consider implementing policy to assist in the economic recovery, particular to some sectors, such as tourism and airline industry.
A travel bubble is an agreement between two or more countries to open up their borders for travel without strict quarantine. Generally, they are done between governments that are close and trust each other, and who are confident both sides are managing the virus well.
Wong Tsui-kai, SCMP
Details of The Agreement
The agreement is announced on 11 Nov 2020 and will be implemented on 22 Nov 2020. Initially, there are only 200 people allowed to move quarantine-free and only 1 flight per day. Depends on the situation, the number might increase possibly.
Under the ATB, a visitor must not any country other than Singapore or Hong Kong in the past 14 days. In addition, there must be a valid negative COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) nucleic acid test result prior to departure. Upon arrival, there would be another test for COVID-19. If tested negative, he/she would be exempted from the compulsory quarantine.
?Tips from WYND Team: The government has published a FAQ for more details
Balancing Economic Development & Public Health
It is no doubt that economic development is essential. Yet, we cannot underestimate the importance of public health. If we look down it, the pandemic situation could be out of control again. Eventually, it leads to larger damage to economic development. As a result, there is a regulation between both sides regarding the arrangement of travel bubble.
According to the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development:
If the seven-day moving average of the daily number of unlinked local COVID-19 cases is more than five for either Singapore or Hong Kong, the ATB arrangement will be suspended for two weeks.
Edward Yau, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development
Apart from it, both governments should also implement more policies to enhance the confidence for both sides’ residents such as building a bilateral notification mechanism to update the health situation and risks from people in travel bubble.
Coworking Space For Business Travelers
Moving to the era of new normal, a coworking space is definitely a suitable choice for business travelers. Unlike cafe/coffee shop, it is not a place where everyone can use. In WYND Co-working Space, we also adopt different policies in order to ensure the health and safety of our members. In order to maximize flexibility, we also have a Pay Per Use Workspace scheme. The hourly use of hotdesk is complete without commitment and charge by half an hour. If you are interested, contact us for more details.
WYND Co-working Space is located in Central district, in Lan Kwai Fong and near SOHO. If you are looking for a modern and lively coworking space for your startup or you are event organisers currently searching for event spaces, come and join us here, our space is your best choice.