What the Singapore COVID lock down means for Australia’s travel bubble

It was one of the world leaders in battling COVID-19 but thanks to a string of new mystery cases, hopes of an Aussie travel bubble now sit on a knife’s edge.

The South-East Asian country was the city which had nearly conquered the COVID-19 pandemic, however Singapore will enter a four-week lockdown from May 16 to June 13 after a spate of mystery cases were reported.

Under these new orders – which are some of the most restrictive since the country when into a partial lockdown in April 2020 – employees will return to working-from-home orders, gyms have been closed, dining-in has been banned and household gatherings have been limited to two people. The majority of overseas travellers will also need to complete a 21-day quarantine. This, however, won’t apply to arrivals from Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong and Brunei who merely have to isolate until they’ve received a negative test.

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These ‘circuit breaker’ restrictions will be among the tightest the country has seen since over a year ago. Picture: Roslan Rahman / AFP.

In the last week 71 new cases have been reported, an increase from the 48 infections from the week prior, however it’s the 15 unlinked cases that have caused authorities the most concern.

Strains of the Indian, South African, UK and Brazil variants, which have been deemed more infectious, were also detected among these cases.

“A pattern of local unlinked community cases has emerged and is persisting,” read a statement from Singapore’s health ministry. “We need to act decisively to contain these risks as any one leak could result in an uncontrolled resurgence of cases.”

46 infections have since been traced to Changi airport, with fears the pathogen could have infected airport staff, despite strict quarantine regulations. In response the airport terminals and connecting Jewel shopping have been closed for two weeks from May 13.

Under the new restrictions, all dining-out has been prohibited, with only takeaway and delivery allowed. Picture: Singapore Tourism Board

The uptick in mystery cases may also threaten plans of a travel bubble with Australia, which was slated for a potential July launch.

Under the arrangement, vaccinated travellers would have been able to travel freely between the two countries without a mandatory two-week quarantine period for work, study or holiday purposes.

The arrangement could also see Singapore become an intermediary country for those looking to come into Australia, which would help bring home the 36,000 or so stranded citizens waiting to return home.

While an official decision is expected to be reached next week, Hong Kong’s travel bubble with Singapore also hangs in the balance. Originally slated for a May 26 launch, it’s understood by the South China Morning Post that Singapore’s outgoing Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung isn’t overly hopefully.

“Given the rising cases in Singapore it is very likely that Singapore will not be able to meet the resumption criteria,” he said.