Few things have been left unchanged by the spread of the novel coronavirus. One industry that’s seen a radical decline in revenue is travel, and this has also impacted international business.
Singapore, an island nation of about 5.7 million people, is heavily dependent upon international trade for its economy. In light of recent developments regarding the coronavirus, Singapore’s government has decided to set up a travel bubble.
Sports leagues like the NBA popularized the concept of a COVID-19 bubble to finish the 2020 season, and now Singapore is instituting this concept for business purposes.
International business travelers can now enter Singapore and stay in special dedicated housing facilities for up to 14 days. The island nation will also require these travelers to undergo testing for the coronavirus several times during their stays.
This travel option will open up in the second half of January 2021.
There are no national restrictions. Businessmen and women can come from any nation as long as they adhere to the bubble.
Meetings will take place with participants on separate sides of a floor-to-ceiling divider that’s intended to cut down on the likelihood of COVID-19 transmission.
While Singapore intends this move to increase travel into its airport, it won’t be open to leisure travelers. Instead, only a limited number of wealthy, high-ranking government and business travelers will be permitted to enter the country.
This planned bubble is not the first of its kind. Earlier in 2020, the Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia opened a travel bubble. That bubble burst as COVID-19 cases increased. However, the Baltic bubble did not involve travelers living in dedicated quarantine housing.
In recent days, Singapore has seen a low level of coronavirus transmission after seeing spikes earlier in 2020. There have been fewer than 20 cases per day over the past 30 days, and this would help make the bubble concept more feasible.
Additionally, the travel bubble will allow for Singapore to host the World Economic Forum that’s usually held in Davos, Switzerland.
