Quarantine-free leisure travel between Hong Kong and Singapore will resume on Nov. 22, according to details of a bilateral air travel bubble announced Wednesday.Under the new guidelines, passengers will be allowed to travel between the two locations without the need to isolate on arrival. Instead, they will be required to undergo a Covid-19 test and provide a negative result within 72 hours before departure. All travelers arriving in Hong Kong will also be required to take a Covid-19 test at the airport upon arrival.[wordads]There will be no restrictions on the purpose of travel and no requirement for a controlled itinerary or sponsorship. However, travelers must have no travel history to any place outside of Hong Kong or Singapore within 14 days prior to departure.Arrivals will be subject to local Covid-19 restrictions in the respective markets, such as downloading a contact tracing app and wearing masks. Any travelers who contract the virus will be required to bear their own medical costs.Flights will be initially limited to one per day into each city with a limit of 200 travelers on each flight.If the coronavirus situation does not deteriorate in either city, flights are expected to increase from Dec. 7 to two per day into each city. However, should the weekly average of confirmed cases exceed five per day on either side, the bubble will be suspended for two weeks, Hong Kong’s Secretary for Economic Development and Commerce, Edward Yau, noted.The designated air travel bubble flights will only ferry passengers traveling between Hong Kong and Singapore, and will not include those transiting through either of the cities, the announcement noted.Hong Kong and Singapore first announced plans for a bilateral travel bubble in mid-October as both cities seek to repair some of the damage inflicted by the coronavirus pandemic on their hard-hit tourism and aviation industries.Without domestic air travel markets, the two Asian business hubs are heavily reliant on international travel. Last year, Hong Kong recorded more than 453,000 visitor arrivals from Singapore, while Singapore received 489,000 visitors from Hong Kong, according to the respective cities’ official statistics.The agreement will fall well short of bringing flights between the two locations to their pre-pandemic average of 18 per day. Still, Singapore’s minister for transport, Ong Ye Kung, hailed the agreement as a “first of its kind,” and said it could go some way in reinstating international travel.“The Singapore-Hong Kong Air Travel Bubble enables us to achieve two objectives at the same time – open up our borders in a controlled manner, while maintaining safety in our societies,” he said.“While we may be starting small, this is an important step forward. I have no doubt both Singapore and Hong Kong will co-operate fully to make this scheme work. It will be a useful reference for other countries and regions that have controlled the epidemic, and are contemplating opening their borders,” he added.Both Singapore and Hong Kong have been early advocates of introducing travel agreements with other countries considered to be low risk.Singapore, for its part, has unilaterally opened its borders to tourists from select countries including Australia, Brunei, mainland China, Vietnam and New Zealand. Meanwhile, Hong Kong is said to be in talks with 10 countries, including Japan and Thailand, over similar arrangements.As of Nov. 10, Singapore had 58,073 total confirmed coronavirus cases and 28 deaths. Hong Kong had a total of 5,390 confirmed cases and 108 deaths.Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/11/singapore-and-hong-kong-to-start-travel-bubble-flights-on-nov-22.html

This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has removed its recommendations for travelers to complete a self-imposed 14-day quarantine period after traveling out of state or the country, according to USA Today.While it no longer recommends that every traveler isolates for two weeks after returning from a trip, it advises following the local recommendations of your state or city upon return. Several states — most famously New York — still require a period of quarantine after returning from a majority of U.S. states.The CDC still points out that you may become exposed to COVID-19 during your travels and that if you were indeed exposed at any point, there is a chance you could spread the disease to those in your family, your friends and the community at large.While the previous CDC recommendations were just that — recommended protocols for anyone choosing to travel — the states that have put travel restrictions in place for residents have set up more systems for monitoring and enforcing the mandatory quarantines.New York City, for example, has set up health checkpoints at major points of entry to the city and more recently has begun requiring anyone who is staying at a hotel or vacation rental property to fill out a health declaration form. It solicits contact information so that the city can more effectively stay in touch with a given person for contact tracing and quarantine enforcement.And, those who violate these requirements are subject to whatever penalties a given locality has decided to impose — in the case of New York City, you could be charged with a Class-B misdemeanor or face fines.Since several states have taken matters into their own hands concerning travel restrictions and their enforcement, not much has changed for travelers with the changing of the CDC’s recommendations for travel. Before you decide to travel anywhere, be sure that you’re aware of the risks of doing so, and do your research on the destination to which you’re traveling so that there are no surprises about restrictions on that destination, whether you’re traveling to or returning from it.Source: https://thepointsguy.com/news/cdc-cancels-14-day-self-quarantine/

South Korea reported two-hundred-66 new COVID-19 cases on Monday. Eleventh straight day of triple digit increase.During that period, nearly three thousand in total. Choi Jeong-yoon has our top story. South Korea continues to see a surge in COVID-19 infections,... on Monday reporting 266 new cases. Though it's a decrease from the three-hundred or more seen on each of the last three days,... the daily increase has been in the triple digits for eleven days in a row. During that period, the total number of cases has reached almost 3-thousand."The infections right now are centered on the area near Seoul, but they're spreading nationwide through churches, gatherings, door-to-door sales as well as restaurants, cafes and workplaces." Out of 258 local transmissions on Monday, more than two-hundred were in or near the capital. Seoul on Monday saw 97 cases,... the most of any region. Next highest was Gyeonggi-do Province with 84, while the city of Incheon reported twenty cases.Among the cases in Seoul, about 37 percent had no clear origin. That compares to about 22 percent in the past week... and at some points prior to the surge, almost none. As for when it ends, the investment bank JP Morgan is predicting that this new wave will lead to around 7-thousand new cases,... reaching a peak at the end of this month before subsiding by early November. By the end of the year, that would be a total of around 25-thousand.A former director of KCDC says that's a realistic scenario. "Seven thousand more cases by the end of the year is plausible. After autumn, there could be a sharp rise in the number of people with respiratory infections like cold and flu. That will make quarantine harder because they'll be mixed up with COVID-19 patients." The report said the resurgence of cases is largely due to the easing of social distancing this summer as well as the mass resumption of economic activity. Choi Jeong-yoon, Arirang News.

Hey guys!I walk around the Streets in Seoul and upload them on Youtube. My goal is to give everyone who is watching my video that tourist excitement as the global outbreak of Covid19 continues to affect our lives and force us to be under a gloomy self-quarantine at home.If you guys have any places that you want to visit in Seoul or just K-pop/Hallyu related place that you want to see and visit in Seoul but couldn’t because of the geographical distance or just Covid19, just tell me and I will gladly walk there for you and upload them on my Youtube channel!These are some of my previous videos that I’ve uploaded on Youtube.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSMZTjNfVU4&t=94shttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9dYiFaFBxEThank you all and stay safe everyone!And if you want, feel free to subscribe to my channel for more videos!

Dubai state carrier Emirates Airline will serve all of its 143 destinations by the summer of 2021, with the frequency of flights depending on demand, the company’s chief operating officer said this week.Travel was disrupted by widespread lockdowns as countries closed their borders in a bid to control the spread of the coronavirus. Emirates currently flies to fewer than 80 destinations, according to its website.But COO Adel al-Redha told CNBC’s “Capital Connection” that the airline will have flights to 143 cities next year. Emirates is one of the biggest long-haul carriers in the world.“We can easily say, by summer (2021), we’ll be serving 100% of our network destinations,” he said.That outlook is optimistic compared to Australia’s flag carrier Qantas. The airline expects only 50% of international operations to return by the middle of 2022, chief executive Alan Joyce said on “Squawk Box Asia.”Only citizens, residents and their immediate family members can travel to Australia at this time, while Dubai opened its doors to tourists in early July.Al-Redha said the relaxation of rules helped the airline, which is “definitely” seeing a positive trend. “If I compare our performance now with a month ago, we have almost doubled the number of passengers we have been carrying on board our aircraft.” He said the airline’s performance in July and August has been “better than what we have expected earlier.”With regard to next year’s network and services, he said: “Obviously the ... frequency of flights per day will depend on the demand and some of the restrictions that we will need to unwind from some airports and some countries. But in terms of the airline network planning, by summer (2021) we’ll be covering 143 destinations.”It is unclear when governments will allow international travel to resume, and the timeline likely depends on the containment of the virus situation and the availability of a vaccine.The International Air Transport Association said global passenger traffic will not return to pre-pandemic levels until 2024.— CNBC’s Saheli Roy Choudhury contributed to this report.Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/20/emirates-says-it-will-serve-100percent-of-its-destinations-by-summer-2021.html

Airbnb plans to file for an IPO in August, according to a Wall Street Journal report. That means we could see a listing sometime this year, though the exact timeline will depend on the Security and Exchange Commission’s review process and how the market looks. Per the Journal, the company has tapped Morgan Stanley to lead the offering, with Goldman Sachs “playing a key role.”The news comes at a time when Airbnb faces high costs and extra hurdles due to COVID-19. The home-sharing giant lost hundreds of millions after the pandemic ground travel to a halt and caused bookings to tank in cities around the world. The company had to issue millions in refunds to hosts whose guests canceled their stays.Airbnb was valued at $18 billion back in April — a significant drop from the $31 billion price tag it garnered during its last fundraising round in 2017. The company raised $1 billion in funding during its April round, with a steep price tag including an interest rate of 10 percent and (reportedly) a verbal commitment to reduce fixed costs and strengthen management. (Still, the extra funds could help the company weather the pandemic.) In May, the company laid off a quarter of its employees and pumped the brakes on plans to expand into TV and transportation.Even before COVID-19 slammed the US, things weren’t looking great. Airbnb racked up a $322 million loss in the first nine months of 2019.Airbnb has rebounded somewhat, however: bookings have begun to increase year over year.Bookings are trending more toward locations within 200 miles of the customers’ homes, indicating that customers have been shifting vacations to domestic stays (unsurprising, given travel restrictions worldwide) and preferring car travel over flights.Airbnb declined to comment for this story.Source: https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/12/21364874/airbnb-public-ipo-2020-date-rumor-coronavirus-covid19-pandemic

Update as of October 23Due to the prolonged COVID-19 crisis, our company has laid off all employees today.As a result, all day-to-day tour operations will be suspended. Please understand that we can only post basic things until things get better.⛔ Due to coronavirus (COVID-19), HaB Korea team taking the "LEAVE OF ABSENCE" for most of our staff, our responses are taking much longer than usual. All kinds of company operations will be delayed.[wordads]Cancellation and refund also take some time(It could take a couple of months). Please kindly understand this situation. (refer our cancellation policy: https://www.habkorea.net/terms-and-conditions/)? We all have suffered from COVID-19 right now, but we will be able to overcome this situation together for sure!Thank you very much for your kind understanding in advance!Stay strong and be safe! ?‍♂️?

In the Midst of the COVID-19 war, here are some things you have to expect to see and experience when you visit now in South Korea.Everybody is wearing a mask for the prevention of spreading the disease and as well as getting it. So, if you are going to travel do not forget to bring a face mask because according to some, there are long lines to gain access to buy masks. According to news, mask supplies are controlled by the government to avoid hoarding, they only released it at a certain time and location, also with low price so that vendors can't sell it for overprice. Many of the malls and public spaces, including tourist attractions, their entrances have thermal devices or cameras monitored by the staff of that establishments t prevent and help anyone who may be infected. Picture of an empty mall where many people are staying at home avoid contact. So if you are a tourist, it is a great opportunity to go around where there are no overcrowded places. There is an abundant supply of hand sanitizers on different transportations also likes buses, subways, elevators, and more to prevent the spread. In summary, despite of travel ban, South Korea is still in control of it. You just have to be careful and always be clean.

03 March 2020 — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) informs Filipinos traveling to and from South Korea that there are temporary travel restrictions imposed on them to help curb the spread of COVID-19.The travel restrictions, which are based on Resolutions No. 8 and 9 of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) dated 26 February and 03 March 2020, respectively, include:FOR TRAVELERS ENTERING THE PHILIPPINES- Temporary ban of entry into the Philippines of any person coming from the North Gyeongsang Province (including Daegu City and Cheongdo County) of South Korea.- Temporary ban of entry into the Philippines of any person who has been to the North Gyeongsang Province (including Daegu City and Cheongdo County) of South Korea within 14 days immediately preceding their arrival in the Philippines.It is to be noted that Filipino citizens, including their foreign spouses and children, holders of Permanent Resident Visas, and holders of Diplomatic Visas issued by the Philippine Government are exempted from this temporary travel ban but must follow the health protocols of the Department of Health.FOR TRAVELERS GOING TO SOUTH KOREA- Temporary travel restriction for all Filipinos traveling into North Gyeongsang Province (including Daegu City and Cheongdo County) of South Korea.- All Filipinos going to South Korea (with the exception of North Gyeongsang Province including Daegu City and Cheongdo County) are allowed to proceed with their journey provided that they shall execute and sign a declaration signifying their knowledge and understanding of the risks involved in proceeding with their trip. All travelers shall likewise be handed out a healthy advisory pamphlet upon departure.- Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), students studying in South Korea, and those with Permanent Resident status are not restricted to travel into South Korea.- OFWs (whether returning or newly-hired) as well as dependents of permanent residents are allowed to return to South Korea but they must also execute a Declaration signifying their knowledge and understanding of the risks involved upon their return to the country.The Philippine Embassy in Seoul is closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with the Filipino community in ensuring the safety of our kababayans.Filipinos in South Korea who are in need of assistance may contact the emergency hotline number of the Philippine Embassy in Seoul at (+82) 10-9263-8119. ENDSource: The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) | Republic of the Philippines

The Philippines is one of the biggest fanbases of K-pop in all around the world. As of February 2020, Filipinos rated their Top 10 most stanned Kpop group and the group who has the number one spot will not shock you anymore.10) ITZY (Trend song: Icy)9) RED VELVET (Trend song: Zimzalabim)8) IKON (Trend song: Love Scenario)7) SEVENTEEN (Trend song: Fear)6) GOT7 (Trend song: You calling my name)5) MOMOLAND (Trend song: Bboom Bboom / Baam! / Thumbs Up)4) TWICE (Trend song: TT / Yes or Yes / Cheer Up / Fancy)3) EXO (Kokobop / Overdose / Love Shot / Growl )2) BLACKPINK (Kill This Love / Ddu Ddu / Boombayah)1) BTS (Boy with Luv / Fake Love / Idol / Many more!)  

Dear CustomerWe are sorry to inform you of this news.“The Fact Music Awards” will inevitably be temporarily postponed for the sake of the safety of the audience and the cast due to COVID-19.All bookings will be refunded according to the procedure soon.If you have made the payment through the bank, please email our team your booking number and Bank account number. The refund process will be in order from next week.Thank you for your understanding in advance and we hope this whole COVID-19 situation will be ended soon.

Dear CustomerWe are sorry to inform you of this news.“SBS Super Concert in Daegu” will inevitably be temporarily postponed for the sake of the safety of the audience and the cast due to COVID-19.All bookings will be refunded according to the procedure soon.If you have made the payment through the bank, please email our team your booking number and Bank account number. The refund process will be in order from next week.Thank you for your understanding in advance and we hope this whole COVID-19 situation will be ended soon.

Bong Joon-ho's black comedy "Parasite" won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay at the 92nd Academy Awards held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday (local time). It was the first Korean film to take home the prestigious prize in the country's 101-year cinema history. It was co-written by Bong and Han Jin-won."Writing a script is such a lonely process, and we never write to represent our country. This is the very first Oscar for South Korea. Thank you," the auteur said through his interpreter in an acceptance speech. "I thank my wife for always giving inspiration to me, and I thank all the actors here with me today for bringing this film to life." Co-writer Han said he wanted to share this honor with his colleagues and with storytellers in South Korea. "Parasite" is the first non-English movie to win the best original screenplay award since the Spanish-language "Talk to Her" written by Pedro Almodovar won the title in 2002. "Parasite" was also nominated in five other categories at the Oscars: best picture, best director, best screenplay, best editing, and best production design.

⚡ Current status of COVID-19 infections in Korea     - Updated on 9 November | 00:00 AMConfirmed Death Recovered Isolated27,553 480 25,029 2,044+126 +2 +61 +63Tested Negative Pending2,709,199 2,655,844 25,802+6,319 +6,039 +154Data by KCDC[wordads]COVID-19 DashboardCoronavirus 'COVID-19' World Mapping by Johns Hopkins CSSE? Travel Advisory of South Korea in some Major countries USA: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/SouthKorea.html Australia: https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/asia/south-korea-republic-korea United Kingdoms: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/south-korea Singapore: https://www.mfa.gov.sg/countries-regions/k/korea-republic-of/travel-page Philippines: https://dfa.gov.ph/dfa-news/statements-and-advisoriesupdate Canada: https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/south-korea

BTS took home the Daesang (grand prize) for physical album releases while Girls’ Generation’s Taeyeon won the Daesang for digital music releases. This was the first year that the Seoul Music Awards began awarding Daesang for both physical albums and digital music releases.Check out the full list of winners below!Judges’ Special Award: Song Ga In Band Award: Daybreak Hip Hop R&B Award: Kassy Ballad Award: Kim Jae Hwan Dance Performance Award: Ha Sung Woon OST Award: Taeyeon Discovery of the Year: Kim Hyun Chul QQ Music Popular K-Pop Artist Award: EXO Popularity Award: EXO Hallyu Star Award: EXO Rookie Award: TXT, ITZY, AB6IX Bonsang (main awards): BTS, Taeyeon, Super Junior, EXO, TWICE, Red Velvet, NU’EST, MONSTA X, MAMAMOO, Chungha, Paul Kim, NCT Dream Daesang (physical album): BTS Daesang (digital music): Taeyeon

Before we travel, we always have to be prepared for everything. I have asked some of my foreign friends who still didn't visit Korea (Filipinos - Americans - Singaporeans - and Europeans) to give their Travel Questions when they visit the country. Here are the list:1) Where is the best place to stay? Hotel, Sauna, or Traditional Houses?2) If going to choose one, Seoul City or Jeju Island? Where is the most worth it?3) On what season is the best to visit? Autumn, Spring, Winter or Summer?4) How many days should a first-timer stay in Korea to have a worth having tour?5) Is the items and souvenirs in Korea so expensive? When we can buy cheaper things?6) What is the best thing to do? Trave with a guide or a DIY tour?7) Is commuting easy in South Korea?8) Are there any tourist destinations even at night? or 24 hours?9) What is the most popular tourist spot in Seoul?10) What is the most delicious food/delicacies should we try? 

The performing artists are ITZY, TXT, AB6IX, NCT Dream, Red Velvet (without Wendy), MAMAMOO, TWICE, MONSTA X, NU’EST, Super Junior, Girls’ Generation’s Taeyeon, Chungha, Kassy, Paul Kim, Kim Jae Hwan, Ha Sung Woon, Song Ga In, Kim Hyun Chul, and Daybreak.Super Junior’s Kim Heechul, Jo Bo Ah, and Shin Dong Yup will be hosting the award ceremony.☆ Seating Plan: Ground Seating A1, A2 or B2 RandomlyTicket Pick-up Location⚡ Gocheok Sky Dome Food Court Entrance  Ticketing Operation: 14:00 – 16:00  Emergency Contact: +82 10 7239 3691 (Mr. Daniel Kim)? Please find our staff who is wearing ‘HaB Korea’ cap in the area, he(or she) will assist your ticketing. (See the picture below)

? Travel Advisory of South Korea in some major countriesUSA: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/SouthKorea.html Australia: https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/asia/south-korea-republic-korea United Kingdoms: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/south-korea Singapore: https://www.mfa.gov.sg/countries-regions/k/korea-republic-of/travel-page Philippines: https://dfa.gov.ph/dfa-news/statements-and-advisoriesupdate Canada: https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/south-korea⚡ Mapping the Wuhan Coronavirus Data -> https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6

Two days from today, the "Seoul Music Awards" will be held on Jan.30th. It takes place at Gocheock SkyDome, the first domed stadium in South Korea. But to secure huge land for the dome, it was built quite the outskirts of Seoul, which is not a familiar area for foreign tourists. But it is really huge, which means that it's really noticeable even with the distance. And from the subway station, it's really easy to get there. I attached the map, so just follow the road, and flow in the flock!The closest station from the Gocheok Skydome is "Guil Station"(Seoul Metro Line 1), but it might be too crowded on the concert day. But if you are brave enough to go through the crowds, get out of the Guil Station using Exit 2. But if you are a person who hates the congestion and has enough time before the entrance, get off at "Gaebong Station" (One station away from Guil Station - Line 1). Get out of Exit 2, and walk roughly 15 min, then you can easily find the Skydome.This area is not that complex as the city center of Seoul is. And the SkyDome is humongous so that it's almost impossible to notice it. No worries!Gocheok SkyDome ??430 Gyeongin-ro, Gocheok-dong, Guro-gu, Seoul

“Be the Brightest Stars”Starbucks Korea and BTS released new menus and merchandise available for sale from today to February 6. The new products include one beverage menu, five food menus, and six types of merchandise. But two kinds of glasses and key chains were already sold out before 11 AM.BTS’s “Make It Right” from their album “Map of the Soul: Persona” will be played in Starbucks stores during the period of the campaign.Part of the profits from the campaign will go towards career and educational development programs for disadvantaged youth as part of The Beautiful Foundation’s Opportunity Youth Independence Project.

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