Prime Minister Scott Morrison collaborates with the Prime Minister of Singapore on the next travel bubble

As part of the 6th Australia-Singapore Annual Leaders’ Meeting, Mr. Morrison spent the night in Singapore, chaired by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. He stopped on the way to the G7 summit and was the first foreign leader to set foot on the coast of Singapore since the beginning of Covid-19.

This was the first face-to-face meeting between the two. Mr. Li said he was “happy” that Mr. Morrison could stop and described him as “very happy to meet in person in a long time.”

Both admitted that it may take “a period of time” before reaching the travel bubble milestone, but Mr Morrison has made it clear that he wants this Southeast Asian country to be the next on the list.

A joint statement from the Prime Minister’s Office stated that the two prime ministers “both recognized the importance of open borders for post-pandemic recovery”.

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Australia and Singapore are “committed” to resuming two-way cross-border travel. Mr Morrison said that “nothing can stop us” from establishing a system for a bubble like New Zealand.

Mr. Morrison discussed the “infrastructure” so that Australia can be opened “when both of us can do it” and “when the public health conditions of both countries allow it.”

Mr. Li gave some clues about expectations; the mutual recognition of health and vaccination certificates is likely to be digital.

The statement said that they welcome ongoing discussions among border, health, transportation and other officials to determine detailed operational requirements for safe travel with COVID-19, including discussions on health and vaccination certificates.

They also discussed cooperation and welcomed Singaporean students to return to Australia to continue their studies.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, the incidence of Covid in Singapore has been fluctuating, and after containment measures have successfully prevented the outbreak, the one-month partial blockade will be slowly relaxed from next week.

Mr. Lee said that Australia and Singapore have “similar methods” in fighting the virus, and the two countries “strongly support each other,” especially in the early stages of the pandemic.

Mr. Li focused on the necessity of vaccination, but neither leader set a specific date.

New restrictions were introduced in mid-May, including limiting the size of social gatherings to two people, closing schools, and banning dining in restaurants.

As the number of cases steadily declines, starting from Monday, the maximum number of people for gatherings will be increased to five, and larger groups will be allowed to participate in events such as live performances.

If the situation is brought under control, more restrictions will be lifted from June 21-including restoring dining in restaurants and allowing people to exercise in gyms without wearing masks.

Due to the failed vaccine rollout, the closure of the international border is expected to cost the country at least $17 billion-but the cost of the loss can be prohibitively high.

According to the new model of the McKell Institute, Australia’s isolation from the rest of the world has caused economic losses as high as US$203 per day.

In April, it was announced that Australia’s first And New Zealand’s travel bubble, Mr Morrison said that when asked which country might be next, Australia “cannot move forward.”

In March, it was reported that the Australian and Singaporean governments were negotiating a travel bubble that could have an impact as early as July.

Mr Morrison said at the time that the government had considered Singapore and Japan as separate bubbles — and other countries — but ruled out any such prospects.

“I can’t confirm what they are at the moment, and we can’t outline where the next one will be,” the prime minister said.

— Agence France-Presse