Hong Kong and Singapore to launch 'travel bubble' on November 22

Flight services between Singapore and Hong Kong will resume from November 22 under the 'air bubble' arrangement, with the number of people allowed to move each direction initially limited to 200 per day.

This will increase to two flights a day into each city from December 7, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said on Wednesday.

Air bubbles are temporary arrangements between two countries or territories aimed at restarting commercial passenger services when regular international flights are suspended as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to CAAS, travellers have to take the dedicated flights, but will have no restrictions on their travel purpose and do not have to follow a controlled itinerary.

They will also not be subject to quarantine or stay-home notice, according to a Channel News Asia report.

However, they must test negative on Covid-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests within 72 hours before their scheduled departure time.

The health ministry on Tuesday announced that travellers who are not Singaporeans or permanent residents entering Singapore from high-risk countries will need to take a Covid-19 PCR test within 72 hours before their departure.

This is part of Singapore's plans to reduce the risk of imported cases from high-risk countries and regions.

The pre-departure requirement will begin on November 18.

Meanwhile, Singapore reported 18 imported Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, all of whom had been placed on stay-home notice on arrival here.

The new cases include 10 foreign domestic workers, the health ministry said, adding that there was no local infection.

Singapore's coronavirus tally now stands at 58,091, including 57,985 recoveries.