Skift Take
Desperation is the new mother of invention and all eyes are on Singapore to see if the slew of measures it is taking will go down in history as forerunners of safe travel reopening — or just despairing moves.
Singapore is desperate to restart international travel, easily the most active country in Asia-Pacific right now in attempting to reopen as it declares one measure after another.
The latest, announced on October 23, is a reciprocal green lane with Germany, which can be a future model between Singapore and other European countries. The two countries are working out mutually-agreed procedures, health protocols, and the application process. So far, Singapore has green lanes with only Asian countries, namely Japan, China, South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.
Green lanes are for essential or business and official purposes only. They have not produced the numbers as conditions are quite onerous (see examples here), according to industry members interviewed.
But it is Singapore's reciprocal leisure travel bubble with Hong Kong, announced on October 15, that is seen as potentially pushing the envelope, coming as it is when most people have gone flat on the idea of travel bubbles.
In principle, both countries will not impose restrictions on travel purpose, insist on a quarantine, or control itineraries, only that visitors must be negative from mutually-recognized PRC tests and must travel on dedicated flights.
The number of flights can be adjusted upwards or downwards, or even suspended according to Covid-19 situations in both cities.
“It is a safe, careful but significant step forward to revive air travel, and provide a model for future collaboration with other parts of the world,” said Singapore's transport minister Ong Ye Kung.
The bilateral deal comes on top of unilateral reopening Singapore has made to-date with Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam and Brunei. This, too, has had limited impact as travelers are turned off by lengthy quarantines upon return.
But the point of it, said Ong, is it's like a standing invitation, signaling Singapore is open when those countries are ready to lift their restrictions.
Singapore’s Lungs
To understand why Singapore is aching to reopen, having brought the pandemic back under control, think of two of its icons: Changi Airport and Singapore Airlines (SIA).
Ong, in a speech to the parliament on October 6, described Changi as “a lung of Singapore,” connecting the city to the outside world and energizing every sector of the economy. Superior air connectivity is a key reason why companies invest in Singapore, as
