When the air bubble between Australia and New Zealand opened for travellers, there were hints and speculations that The Land Down Under would soon establish another travel corridor. The best contender for the travel bubble after New Zealand was Singapore. On 10 June 2021, the leaders of both countries set the nuts and bolts of the plan.
With the advent of the coronavirus pandemic, Australia, like other countries, had shut its borders for international visitors. Restricted entry was given to Australian citizens, residents, and their families with a few days of quarantine. However, now things are proceeding on the road towards normality in the country.
Australia already has one functioning air-travel bubble with New Zealand. The corridor between the two counties began in April 2021. Fortunately, the quarantine-free travel corridor was a success. The flights were booked at full capacity in both countries.
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At present, many countries are still battling the tragic consequences of the coronavirus. However, Australia and Singapore are free from community transmission and now opening doors for the new travel bubble between the two nations.
Singapore and Australia are moving ahead towards the resumption of travel. Singapore currently has less than 70,000 COVID-19 positive cases, and Australia stands at around 30,000 COVID-19 positive cases.
After the World Travel and Tourism Council’s new campaign #reunite the world, and ahead of the G7 meet, the Prime Ministers of the two countries met on 10 June 2021 to discuss the progress in the Australia-Singapore travel bubble.
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AU-Singapore Travel Bubble Update
Scott Morrison is the first foreign Prime Minister to have visited Singapore, since the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Leaders of both countries gave a joint news conference from Singapore. The event was broadcasted live on Facebook.
In the conference, the leaders said they would work to set the air travel bubble into motion soon. They announced that the travel corridor between the two might soon reopen in a safe and calibrated manner. However, adequate infrastructure and a well-versed plan are needed for the same.
It is also noticed that to resume travel, mutual recognition of health and vaccination certificates is essential. However, Morrison added that there is still some time left to reach the milestone. Once the nitty-gritty of the plan is sorted out, travellers would be allowed to fly to the other country.
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What would the travel corridor mean for travellers?
The news about the air travel bubble between the two countries was unsettled for a couple of months. However, the plan finally got an edge with the latest talk between Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien.
According to the plan for two-way travel between the two countries, it is understood that travellers would be allowed to travel for work, education, and holidays, once set in motion. Additionally, there is a possibility that vaccinated citizens would not need to summon themselves for the two-week quarantine. However, there no official guidelines released yet.
The news comes as a cherry blossom for travellers who are long awaiting to travel. It is anticipated that Australians and Singaporeans would soon be allowed to visit each other’s lands as soon as both countries have their infrastructure and health arrangements under control. Furthermore, travellers are recommended to keep an eye on the latest updates released by the tourism ministry.
SOURCE: KALKINE MEDIA
