Hong Kong and Singapore have agreed to launch their long-awaited quarantine-free travel bubble next month – but some travellers will still need to be vaccinated and carry appropriate insurance coverage.

The Singapore-Hong Kong “Air Travel Bubble” (ATB) is slated to launch on May 26 and will initially be limited to one flight a day in each direction for the first two weeks. Travellers must have remained in either Singapore or Hong Kong in the last 14 days prior to departure and must take a COVID-19 test before and after each flight.

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Additionally, travellers from Hong Kong will need to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and must purchase travel insurance with a minimum coverage of SG$30,000 for COVID-19-related medical treatment and hospitalisation cost.

“Our goal remains striking a right balance between public health and travel convenience so that the public will rest assured while maintaining certainty," said Edward Yau, secretary for commerce and economic development of Hong Kong. “We will continue to maintain communication with the Singapore government and closely monitor the epidemic development of both places to ensure the smooth launch of the ATB.”

For his part, Singapore transport minister Ong Ye Kung said that, while the conditions “are now ripe” to launch the ATB, both sides “will need to stay very vigilant in the next one month, so that we can launch the first flights smoothly.”