Coronavirus: governments urged to move fast on travel bubbles in Asia-Pacific

All talk and very little action are dashing hopes of travel bubbles that can allow a controlled flow of people between places, experts have said amid lockdowns and closed borders over the coronavirus pandemic. “People are talking a lot about travel bubbles, but I only see one in existence: in the European Union, which has removed all cross-border travel restrictions,” said Subhas Menon, director general of the Association of Asia-Pacific Airlines (AAPA). “The other bubbles are yet to come to fruition. The trans-Tasman bubble has not been implemented either.” In general, many borders are opening up on a bilateral level, but governments are not yet ready for a true travel bubble. Though some travel restrictions are easing, the 14-day mandatory quarantine imposed by administrations remains in place for foreigners. Hong Kong’s first concrete attempt at creating a travel bubble with neighbouring Macau and Guangdong – planned on May 16 – has stalled, the city’s leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said last week. The problems centred on quarantine restrictions that would hamper the movement of people. The weeks of talks highlight the problem of negotiating travel bubbles from scratch, as various authorities approach the issue differently to address their own concerns in tackling Covid-19. Frequent flare-ups of the public health crisis are further complicating the matter. Sharon Dai from CAPA Centre for Aviation said travel bubbles in the region would have a positive effect on aviation demand but authorities had been slow in coming up with agreements. “Conversations have been ongoing for quite some time, but in Asia it has been slow to materialise due to the many complexities and politics,” she said.<br/>