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☆ South Korea is battling against a bedbug outbreak
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

South Korea has been gripped by a bedbug outbreak, and the government is rushing to battle the bloodsucking bugs. The bedbugs were first found in a sauna in Incheon, as well as university dormitories and gosiwons, according to a the South Korean government. An initial outbreak was reported in a dormitory at Keimyung University in Daegu city in September. As of Tuesday, the number of suspected bedbug cases rose to 30, with more than half in the capital, Seoul. While they do not transmit diseases, their bites can cause intense itching and lead to secondary skin infections or scarring.

Persons: bedbugs Organizations: South, Keimyung University, Korea Disease Control, Prevention Agency Locations: Paris, Seoul, South Korea, Incheon, Daegu, South Korea's, Korea

Seoul, South Korea CNN —Hundreds of teenage boy and girl scouts have fallen ill at a global event in South Korea as a sweltering heat wave sweeps the country, angering some parents who have called for the 12-day event to be canceled. Their visit came as South Korea recorded consistently high temperatures up to 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit), triggering nationwide heat wave warnings and posing a major headache for jamboree organizers. On Thursday alone, 1,486 people visited the on-site hospital at the World Scout Jamboree, held in Saemangeum, a few hours south of Seoul, according to Kim. Kim Hong-Ji/ReutersCNN has reached out to jamboree organizers for a response to the parents’ comments. The fire service has been operating the on-site hospital, with about 200 fire department personnel deployed every day to the event site.

Persons: Kim Hyun, Kim, commenter, ”, Kim Hong, ’, Yoon Suk, “, – Organizations: South Korea CNN, Jeonbuk, Service, Reuters CNN Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Saemangeum

Seoul CNN —At least 16 people have died from heat-related illnesses in South Korea as the country swelters under a prolonged heat wave with temperatures above 38 degrees Celsius (100 Fahrenheit) in some parts of the country. A total of 1,284 people reported suffering heat-related illnesses as of Tuesday, according to KDCA. South Korea has raised the heat wave warning to the highest “serious” level for the first time since 2019, the interior and safety ministry said Wednesday. Ahn Young-joon/APHeat wave warnings have expanded to most of the country since late July as temperatures rose over 33 degrees Celsius (around 91 Fahrenheit). To cope with the continuing heat wave, local authorities are regularly checking on vulnerable populations and setting up cooling facilities such as shade tents and sun umbrella rentals.

Persons: Ahn Young, ’ Organizations: Seoul CNN —, Korea Disease Control, Prevention Agency, “, Korean Confederation of Trade Unions Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Korea, KDCA, Gyeonggi, Yeoju, Anseong, Asia, China, Japan

☆ Typhoon Doksuri and Khanun: Thousands in China flee homes as one soaks Beijing and the second approaches Typhoon Doksuri lashes Beijing and floods parts of China, while another storm approaches
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

A civilian rescue team help flood-stranded people onto a rubber boat in Quanzhou in southeast China's Fujian province on July 29, 2023. Even as Doksuri tapers off, authorities are preparing for incoming Khanun, the sixth typhoon projected to hit China this year. This weekend, a total of 1,015 people suffered heat-related diseases, which the KDCA defines as heat stroke, heat exhaustion, heat cramps, heat syncope and heat edema. The city of Gyeongju saw temperatures reach 36.8 degrees Celsius (98.24 Fahrenheit) and Jeongseon county saw temperatures reach 36.1 Celsius (96.98 Fahrenheit), according to the Korea Meteorological Administration. Seoul’s affluent Gangnam district saw temperatures reach to 35.7 degrees Celsius (around 96.2 Fahrenheit), while North Gyeongsang Province saw temperatures reach 38.1 degrees Celsius (100.58 degrees Fahrenheit).

Persons: Doksuri, hurtled, Saomi, Rita, Khanun Organizations: CNN, CCTV, Xinhua, China Meteorological Administration, Xinhua News Agency, Getty, CNN Weather, Joint Typhoon Warning, South Korea swelters, Korea Disease Control, Prevention Agency, Korea Meteorological Administration Locations: Beijing, China, Fujian, Liaoning, Hebei, Quanzhou, China's Fujian, Philippines, Taiwan, Zaozhuang, China's Shandong, Zhejiang, Okinawa, East, Naha, Miyako, Asia Asia, South Korea, Korea, Gyeongju, Jeongseon, Gangnam, North Gyeongsang Province

Rey Steve Mabiala and his wife, Liz Gouari, taking refuge at the Roberval emergency center after being ordered to evacuate Chibougamau, Quebec, as a fire approached. Of the more than 400 fires now burning in Canada, more than one-third are in Quebec, which has already registered its worst wildfire season on record. Credit... Carlos Osorio/Reuters“We are facing some unprecedented events, including droughts, accelerated fires and heat waves, and there will be more over time, especially forest fires,” Ms. Mohsin said. But perhaps most surprised were newcomers to Chibougamau, like Mr. Mabiala, from the Republic of Congo, who came to work in logging. “They were asking, “Oh, is there such a thing in Canada?’ ’’ Ms. Cabrera said.

Persons: Rey Steve Mabiala, Liz Gouari, Gouari, Mabiala, Prince Edward Island, ” Mr, “ It’s, ”, Josée Poitras, Tanzina Mohsin, Carlos Osorio, Ms, Mohsin, Poitras, “ I’ve, I’ve, Francis Côté, “, Chibougamau, Renaud Philippe, Côté, Guy Boisvert, Winters, Boisvert, Shirley, Jonathan Mattson, Mr, Mattson, Ruth Cabrera, Anna Huerte, —, Cabrera, Huerte Organizations: Wildfire, University of Toronto, ., Reuters, The New York Times, “, Credit Locations: Chibougamau, Quebec, Africa, Canada, North America, Republic of Congo, Prince, Nunavut, Fort Nelson, British Columbia, Toronto, Val, Montreal, Roberval, East Coast, United States, Philippines

☆ Canada sends military to help battle blazes in Nova Scotia
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Steve Scherer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Smoke from the Tantallon wildfire rises over houses in nearby Bedford, Nova Scotia, Canada, May 28, 2023. Nova Scotia is battling two large fires that are threatening communities on the outskirts of the provincial capital, Halifax. The armed forces would provide equipment and personnel to relieve firefighters "who have been working tirelessly around the clock to protect communities right across Nova Scotia", Blair said. The federal government sent the military to Alberta last month to help battle blazes there and Canada is also getting help from other countries. Some 800 U.S. firefighters have come to battle the blazes, mostly in Alberta, with another 100 are scheduled to arrive in Nova Scotia over coming days, officials said.

Persons: Eric Martyn, Bill Blair, Blair, Justin Trudeau, Steve Scherer, Anirudh Saligrama, Sharon Singleton, Robert Birsel Organizations: REUTERS, OTTAWA, CBC News, CBC, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Bedford , Nova Scotia, Canada, Nova Scotia, Halifax, Alberta, Quebec, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa

☆ South Korea to drop mandatory 7-day quarantine for COVID patients from June
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, May 11 (Reuters) - South Korea on Thursday lowered its crisis level for COVID-19 and will from June no longer require infected people to quarantine for seven days, dropping one of the country's few remaining pandemic-related restrictions. Health authorities will still recommend five days of self-isolation for infected people but it will not be mandatory. Requirements that masks be worn at all medical facilities and pharmacies will also be dropped, with masks only mandatory at hospitals with patient wards. Yoon said the government would continue to provide financial support for COVID testing and treatment "for a while". South Korea, which has a population of 52 million, has reported around 31.3 million infections and 34,600 deaths, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

HONG KONG — On the first day of unimpeded travel between mainland China and Hong Kong, Olivia Gai was one of the first in line. On Tuesday, the Chinese embassies in South Korea and Japan said they would stop issuing short-term visas for travelers to China. The South Korean Foreign Ministry says its restrictions on travelers from China are based on science. According to some estimates, China’s Covid death toll could reach 1 million or more in the coming months. Nonetheless, more countries have begun requiring negative Covid tests for travelers from China, and at least one country, Morocco, has banned arrivals entirely.

South Korea on Tuesday hit back at claims that its Covid rules for Chinese travelers are "discriminatory," saying more than half of its imported cases are coming from China. Citing South Korea's proximity to China, Choi said a surge in infections in China could put South Korea at risk. But South Korea and Japan — two top destinations for Chinese travelers — said they are not increasing flights in response to China's border reopening. China's embassies in South Korea and Japan announced Tuesday that they would stop issuing visas to "Korean nationals" and "Japanese citizens." Choi said South Korea's new Covid travel restrictions are "only temporary" and were made to "place the highest priority on the health and safety of people residing in South Korea."

☆ South Korea calls China's visa suspension 'deeply regrettable'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, Jan 11 (Reuters) - China's recent decision to suspend the issue of short-term visas in South Korea was "deeply regrettable", the South's Foreign Minister Park Jin said on Wednesday. Tuesday's suspension by the Chinese embassy in South Korea was China's first retaliatory move against countries imposing COVID-19 curbs on its travellers. "It's deeply regrettable China took such a countermeasure by entirely suspending issuance of short-term visas," Park told a news briefing, adding that South Korea still issues visas to Chinese visitors for urgent business or humanitarian purposes. Some Chinese tourists have complained over such curbs, which are the strictest among the new rules countries have adopted, but South Korea said they were not discriminatory. "I don't think it's desirable for these measures to have any negative impact on the South Korea-China relations," Park added.

☆ Chinese travelers say new restrictions are 'unfair' — but they're angry at some countries more than others
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Monica Pitrelli | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

But it's not out of spite, said several Chinese travelers who spoke to CNBC. 'I think it's unfair'Reactions from Chinese travelers who spoke to CNBC were varied, ranging from indifference to confusion to anger. Last week, the European Union recommended that its members require Chinese travelers to take Covid tests before entering. Rein said Chinese travelers are now headed to Singapore and Thailand because "both countries are welcoming us." Of the top destinations Chinese nationals searched after the border reopening announcement, those are the only two that haven't imposed new restrictions on incoming Chinese travelers.

☆ South Korea police find Chinese man missing after being sent to COVID quarantine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SEOUL, Jan 5 (Reuters) - South Korean police found on Thursday a Chinese man who went missing after testing positive for COVID-19 upon arrival, and said he would be taken to a quarantine facility and could later be charged under a disease control law. The man has been on a wanted list for allegedly running away while awaiting admission to quarantine. He could be subject to up to one year in prison, or 10 million won ($7,840) in fines, if convicted of violating the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act, officials said. Effective Thursday, arrivals are also required to provide a negative PCR result, taken within 48 hours of the beginning of their journeys to South Korea, or a rapid antigen test taken within 24 hours. A total of 4,113 people have arrived from China since Monday and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said 917 test results showed that 239 of them, or 26.1% of them, were infected with COVID.

☆ South Korea seeks Chinese national missing from COVID quarantine
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Chinese tourists walk into coronavirus disease (COVID-19) testing centre upon their arrival at the Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, January 4, 2023. REUTERS/Kim Hong-JiSEOUL, Jan 4 (Reuters) - South Korea authorities said on Wednesday they were trying to track down a Chinese national who tested positive for COVID-19 on arrival but went missing while waiting at a quarantine facility. The person tested positive after arriving at Incheon International Airport near Seoul late on Tuesday and was transferred to a nearby hotel to await admission to quarantine, but then went missing, a health official said. Starting this week, South Korea required travellers from China to undergo a PCR test upon arrival. The case of the missing Chinese national triggered questions in the media about South Korea's system to control and manage infected inbound travellers.

☆ South Korea to require COVID tests for Hong Kong, Macau travellers
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

SEOUL, Jan 3 (Reuters) - South Korea's health authorities said on Tuesday it will impose mandatory COVID-19 tests on travellers from Hong Kong and Macau, after Beijing's decision to lift stringent zero-COVID policies. Effective Jan. 7, travellers from Hong Kong and Macau would be required to submit a negative result from a PCR test, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The decision comes after South Korea announced it will require travellers from China to take COVID tests before departure and upon arrival in South Korea, joining the United States, Japan and other countries in taking new border measures amid concerns over a new wave of infections and mutations. Reporting by Soo-hyang Choi; editing by Christian SchmollingerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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