Lockdown measures begin to ease with hopes of a vaccine
Singapore and Hong Kong have been forced to suspend their plans for a reciprocal air travel agreement due to a rise in Covid cases, while other countries begin to relax lockdown measures due to vaccine hopes
An air travel bubble (ATB) that was agreed between Hong Kong and Singapore has had to be postponed for two weeks due to a spike in Covid-19 cases in Hong Kong.
Set to launch on 22 November, the scheme would allow passengers travelling on select airlines to travel without the need to quarantine at either end, supposing they met the criteria set out under the agreement. The air bubble is now planned to launch a fortnight later than planned.
“Given the evolving situation in Hong Kong, Secretary Edward Yau and I discussed further this afternoon, and decided that it would be better to defer the launch of the ATB, by two weeks,” Singapore Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said. “We will review within two weeks on the new launch date and update again.”
India forms more air bubbles
Elsewhere, India has now formed an air bubble with Ethiopia as part of its plan to restart international travel. International flights were first suspended in India on 23 March, due to the ongoing global pandemic, except for those intended to repatriate stranded Indians abroad.
India’s new agreement with Ethiopia marks the country’s 22nd air bubble arrangement it has now planned – others have already been formed with Canada, Germany, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Japan, Maldives, the UK, the UAE and the US.
Allegedly, the country is also in talks over forming additional air bubbles with Saudi Arabia and Nepal.
Vaccine hope incites relaxation of travel restrictions
A little further afield, an Australia-New Zealand travel bubble could be due to come into effect by the new year, says Qantas CEO Alan Joyce. Currently, a one-way arrangement is in place between the Australasian destinations: Kiwis can travel into New South Wales in Australia without needing to go into hotel quarantine, but still need to undergo 14-day mandatory self-isolation upon their return back to New Zealand.
But Joyce believes that news of vaccines will ease these travel restrictions. “At the way we're going in Australia, New Zealand could open in the early new year in both directions - that's a massive market for everybody,” he said.
News of a vaccine has also spurred on the easing of lockdown measures in France. Following the announcement of plans to put together a complex vaccinations programme, French President Emmanuel Macron said the country would see a ‘slight relaxing of the lockdown’.