Covid-19: Singapore, Hong Kong to go ahead with air travel bubble

Singapore Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung told reporters that both cities were "still considered low-risk"

Singapore has said that an air travel bubble with Hong Kong would proceed as planned on Sunday but there will be additional precautionary measures imposed as new coronavirus cases in the Chinese-ruled semi-autonomous global finance hub rise.

The flights will proceed on Sunday with an additional Covid-19 test for travellers from Hong Kong, Channel News Asia reported on Saturday.

"So tomorrow, the air travel bubble will be launched. But there's a high chance if Hong Kong continues to have tens of cases with a fair number of unlinked cases, it may be suspended," the Channel quoted Ong as saying.

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Under the terms of the travel bubble, the arrangement would be suspended if the seven-day moving average of unlinked cases exceeds five per day in either city.

Hong Kong is experiencing a spike in the number of cases, a situation the Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan has described as "severe". The city reported 26 new infections on Friday.

Meanwhile, Singapore reported five imported Covid-19 cases on Saturday, bringing the country's infection count to 58,148.