Hong Kong-Singapore travel bubble: why is the Singapore Covid-19 test more expensive and what to do before you board?

The travel bubble between Hong Kong and Singapore will launch on November 22, with the number of people allowed to move quarantine-free in each direction initially limited to 200 per day. The quota will increase from December 7.

The travel bubble will be suspended if the daily average number of untraceable Covid-19 cases in a week reaches more than five in either city. When that figure drops below five again, the bubble will resume.

WHAT TO DO BEFORE DEPARTURE

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Travelling from Singapore

1. Take a pre-departure Covid-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) nucleic acid test at any of these clinics within 72 hours of departure. People departing before December 1 will need to apply for approval to take a PCR test here, at least seven days before their flight. The test will cost about S$200 (HK$1,155).

2. Create an account on the Prenetics website to pre-book a post-arrival PCR test which will be done at the Hong Kong International Airport. This will cost HK$499 (S$86). Save the QR code generated. Young children and infants will have to submit stool samples for testing, but the sample can be submitted after leaving the airport.

3. Complete the Hong Kong Health & Quarantine Information Declaration within 48 hours before arrival in Hong Kong and save the QR code generated.

4. Upon arrival at Changi Airport, present at the check-in counter:

i. Valid air ticket, passport and visa (if necessary);

ii. Negative pre-departure PCR test result in electronic or printed copy;

iii. QR code from Prenetics;

iv. QR code of the Hong Kong Health & Quarantine Information Declaration.

CLICK TO ENLARGE. alt=CLICK TO ENLARGE.

Travelling from Hong Kong

1. Apply for an Air Travel Pass (ATP) here between seven and 30 days before entering Singapore if you are not a Singapore citizen, permanent resident or long-term pass holder. Long-term pass holders must obtain entry approval from relevant Singapore government authorities. Travellers can then apply for a visa if necessary after receiving ATP approval.

If your trip to Singapore ends before December 1 and require a test (for example, if your trip lasts beyond the 72 hours since your earlier test specimen was collected in Hong Kong), you will need to register here, at least seven days before leaving Singapore. You will need to show proof of a flight booking.

2. Take a pre-departure Covid-19 PCR test within 72 hours of departure at one of the government-recognised clinics, testing centres, or testing institutions in Hong Kong, found here. Non-Hong Kong residents can also take the test for HK$240 (S$41) herebut they cannot make an advance booking. Children aged 12 and under are exempted from this test when entering Singapore.

3. Travellers have to complete an electronic health declaration, SG Arrival Card, within three days before arriving in Singapore.

4. Download Singapore's contact tracing app TraceTogether, use it while in Singapore, and keep the app for 14 days after departing the country.

5. Upon arrival at the Hong Kong International Airport, present at the check-in counter:

i. Valid air ticket, passport and visa (if necessary);

ii. Negative pre-departure PCR test result in electronic or printed form;

iii. Air Travel Pass (ATP) approval letter for the period of entry into Singapore (if required);

iv. Installed TraceTogether app on mobile phone.

NOSE TESTS, THROAT SWABS. WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

While Singapore uses nasal swabs, deep throat saliva specimens are taken on arrival at the Hong Kong International Airport. Tests at Hong Kong clinics and hospitals can be either nasal or throat.

Result times differ. The deep throat saliva test at Hong Kong's airport is expected to return a result within four hours from the time of specimen collection, while the result from community testing centres can be expected within 24 hours.

In Singapore, travellers are told to go for their swabs at least 48 hours before departure so the results can come in time for their flight.

The difference in testing time is due to several factors, said Ling. These include how fast the sample was taken to the laboratory, the processing time - such as the extraction of the ribonucleic acid and running it in a machine for analysis - and the number of tests a particular laboratory can handle.

Hong Kong's Department of Health is currently conducting lab-based PCR tests at the Hong Kong airport, using deep throat saliva samples collected from arriving passengers spitting into a container. Chinese University professor David Hui said while deep throat saliva samples were easy to collect, older folks tended to find this method easier than younger people.

He said Prenetics, the biotechnology company, was trying out mouth gargle tests as these could speed things up, especially when there is a large number of inbound passengers. Results for mouth gargle tests, he said, would take less than an hour, but the accuracy of such tests compared to conventional lab-based PCR tests was unclear.

WHY IS THE COVID-19 TEST MORE EXPENSIVE IN SINGAPORE THAN HONG KONG?

Singapore's PCR tests cost about S$200 (HK$1,155). The ones done by Hong Kong's four community testing centres- which foreigners can also access - cost HK$240 (S$41), while the airport on-arrival test is HK$499 (S$86).

Hong Kong also has private clinicsoffering pre-departure PCR tests at upwards of HK$600 (S$103).

Health care experts said the difference could be due to where the test kits were sourced and the type of swabs used. Singapore primarily uses kits from Roche in Germany and Hologic and Thermo Fisher Scientific in the US, while some of Hong Kong's test kits are thought to come from mainland China.

Singapore-based infectious diseases expert Leong Hoe Nam said several components contributed to the prices. The gown and equipment that health care and laboratory workers use typically cost S$30 to S$50 (HK$173 to HK$290), he said, while test kits and the transport of the samples to the labs cost S$20 to S$45 (HK$115 to HK$260).

Lab processes such as extracting the sample were the most expensive component, said Leong. This fee, factoring in the manpower, space, and maintenance of the lab, could easily go up to S$150 (HK$866).

Ling Li Min, an infectious diseases physician at Rophi Clinic in Singapore, said the cost of PCR tests in Singapore was S$130 (HK$750), and fees would go up to S$200 (HK$1,155) after taking into consideration goods and services tax, and the cost of manpower. She added that pre-travel swabs are not offered at public health care facilities in the city state yet, only at private health care facilities.

HOW MUCH TIME SHOULD I LEAVE TO GET TO THE AIRPORT? HOW SHOULD I GET THERE?

Travellers should check-in at the airport two hours before their flight, as per pre-Covid guidelines. Singapore's Changi Airport can be reached by MRT train, buses, taxis and private hire cars. There is no change to the frequency of buses and trains.

Hong Kong International Airport can be reached by the Airport Express train, public buses and taxis. The Airport Express runs from 5.50 am to 12.48 am daily as usual, but at a reduced frequency of two trains per hour during off peak periods and one train every 15 minutes in the morning and evening peaks.

New travel bubble procedures alt=New travel bubble procedures

WILL AIRPORT SHOPS AND RESTAURANTS BE OPEN? SHOULD I BRING MY OWN FOOD AND DRINKS ON THE PLANE?

For Hong Kong, only some airport shops and restaurants are open. Most shops and restaurants in the terminal building have suspended operation and those that are open have shortened operating hours. Travellers can find an updated list of shops and restaurants currently in operation at HKIA here.

For Singapore, only two of four terminals - Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 - are operating. Details on the shops that are open can be found here.

All of Changi's terminals, however, are linked to the shopping mall Jewel Changi Airport. Jewel is open as normal.

Both Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines will serve a special menu of local food flavours for a month to celebrate the launch of the bubble flights, so there is no need to bring your own food.

WHAT ARE THE SOCIAL DISTANCING RULES IN BOTH CITIES? MUST I WEAR A MASK?

Singapore is in its second phase of reopening the economy. Social groups are limited to a maximum of five, and the same limit applies to visitors in private homes. This will be expanded to eight when the country enters its third and final phase of reopening, which authorities say could come as early as the end of this year. Everyone must wear a mask in public - unless they are eating or exercising - or risk a fine of S$300 (HK$1,733) for the first offence and S$1,000 (HK$5,777) for subsequent offences. Flouting any other Covid-19 rules can result in a fine of up to S$10,000 (HK$57,700). Travellers to Singapore should note that the city state does not permit food establishments to serve alcohol after 10.30pm and entertainment outlets such as karaoke lounges and nightclubs are not open in phase two.

Hong Kong has stepped up restrictions following a spike in untraceable infections over the past week, leading some experts to say the city is in the throes of a fourth wave of infections. As of November 16, no more than four people can sit together in restaurants, and no more than two in bars. Dining services must end at midnight. It is compulsory to wear masks in Hong Kong except when exercising or in country parks. Those who breach these regulations can be fined between HK$2,000 and HK$5,000 (S$346 and S$865).

Health minister Professor Sophia Chan Siu-chee said stricter measures could be implemented if the situation worsens.

Hong Kong's bars are open - but no more than two people at a table. Photo: Robert Ng alt=Hong Kong's bars are open - but no more than two people at a table. Photo: Robert Ng

WHAT HAPPENS IF I TEST POSITIVE FOR COVID-19? SHOULD I BUY TRAVEL INSURANCE?

Travellers who test positive will receive immediate medical attention. However, travellers should purchase their own travel insurance before flying to ensure they are covered for any medical costs this will entail.

Not all insurers cover Covid-19, so it is important to check the terms and conditions of your policy before flying.

Charlotte Harris, the managing director of Charlotte Travel, which has been operating in Hong Kong for 19 years and has clients around the world, says there are a few travel insurance plans that cover Covid-19.

"However the insurance programmes are all very fluid at the moment. I just spoke with someone at a travel insurance company that is coming out with new plans in the next week to include a wider range of coverage for travellers - whether that's travel during a pandemic or travel within the bubble."

Some passengers have reported paying around HK$400 (S$69) for insurance.

Additional reporting by Danny Lee, Elizabeth Cheung and Laura Westbrook

This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

Copyright (c) 2020. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.