An Asiana Airlines flight arrives at Dalian International Airport in Liaoning province in 2019. [Photo/Sipa]

Governments in the Asia-Pacific region are exploring the creation of "travel bubbles" to spur essential business travel and help revive economies hit hard by COVID-19.

Starting Monday, people from Singapore and six Chinese municipalities and provinces can make essential business or official trips without having to go through the required 14-day quarantine period.

The Singapore-China fast lane agreement－which includes Shanghai, Tianjin, Chongqing and the provinces of Guangdong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang－is in line with Singapore's plan to gradually reopen its borders to conduct essential business travel but "with the necessary safeguards in place to ensure public health considerations are addressed". Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs started to work out details with China's related departments on Wednesday.

Travelers must undergo testing before departure and obtain a health certificate showing that they tested negative for the novel coronavirus. They are required to submit an itinerary, and are barred from taking public transportation. They also have to undergo a swab test after landing and remain in isolation for two days.

Singapore is the second country in the region to develop such a travel fast track with China. On May 1, Republic of Korea and China opened a tightly controlled corridor between selected cities, including Seoul and Shanghai. Travelers are required to be tested and undergo two days of quarantine upon arrival. Samsung Vice-Chairman Lee Jaeyong used this procedure in mid-May to visit the company's factory in Xi'an, Shaanxi province.