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| Affected residents bundle up in a shelter - all will get cash aid (Facebook photo) |
The Hong Kong government has begun handing out cash assistance to victims of the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, including tokens of solidarity of $200,000 and funeral grants of $50,000 to families of each individual who died.
The government is also “gradually providing a living allowance of $50,000 to each of the 20 cases in the first batch of recipients. These are all on top of the emergency cash subsidy of $10,000 given to each affected household.
In addition, cash handouts will be given to those injured, students who need to buy replacement school supplies, and those who lost or could potentially lose part of their income because of the fire, including foreign domestic helpers.
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| DETAILS HERE |
Separately, the government also said that all individuals injured in the fire and admitted to public hospitals will receive full fee waivers for all necessary healthcare services (including drugs and medical devices) for the entire duration of their treatment and rehabilitation. The fee waiver will continue until Dec 31, 2026.
For those injured, $100,000 will be granted to those who stay in the hospital for seven days or more, and $50,000 for those who are hospitalized for six days or less. The money will be disbursed through the Social Welfare Department.
All students living at Wang Fuk Court will receive a special subsidy of $20,000 each so they can repurchase textbooks, stationery, computers and other learning tools, or for transportation expenses. The subsidy will be given to all those in day schools in secondary, primary and special schools and kindergartens, as well as those studying full-time in locally accredited courses at post-secondary institutions.
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| Basahin ang detalye! |
A special subsidy of $20,000 will be given to construction workers, cleaning workers, security guards and FDHs working at Wang Fuk Court to cover loss of income or need to repurchase business equipment. FDHs will be subsidized for the loss of their personal belongings or possible unemployment due to their employers’ demise or inability to continue hiring them. The subsidy will be administered through the Labour Department.
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| Filipina Maryan Esteban (below photo) and her 5-year-old ward both died in the fire |
Separately, the LD reminded employers of their obligation to pay compensation to their employee who sustains an injury or dies at work, under the Employees Compensation Ordinance. This covers the five construction workers who were at work when the fire broke out, or FDHs who were doing domestic work at the time.
The LD said it has been proactively reaching out to the employers concerned, injured employees, family members of the deceased employees and others to provide appropriate assistance, and is closely following up on the cases.
The LD said it will assist the family members in applying for relevant emergency relief funds, and refer them to the Social Welfare Department for support services. For enquiries on employees' compensation, please call the LD's hotlines 2150 6364 (for injury cases) or 2852 3994 (for fatal cases).
The government has also set up a Support Fund to help affected residents rebuild their homes and provide long-term and sustained support to them. The Fund had a start-up capital of $300 million from the government, but with private donations pouring in, the total fund has reached $1.6 billion.
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| Many residents lost all their belongings in the fire, as this photo shows |
In addition, special services have been started by the Immigration Department after office hours to help residents affected by the Tai Po fire to have their personal documents replaced, including HK identity cards, HK passports, birth and marriage certificates, etc. Visa extension services are also included.
Special services will be offered at the Immigration Headquarters in Tseung Kwan O from 6pm to 10pm from December 1-5 (Monday to Friday) and 1pm to 10 pm on Saturday, December 6.
At present, residents affected by the fire can go to any Immigration office to apply for personal documents without having to make an appointment.
Immigration will also deploy officers to the two temporary shelters still in operation (Tung Cheong Street Community Hall and Tai Po Community Centre) to pick up affected residents and transport them to the Tseung Kwan O headquarters for processing relevant applications.
All applications will be fast-tracked, so the newly reproduced documents could be ready in two days.
For enquiries, please contact the ImmD by email (enquiry@immd.gov.hk) or by the enquiry hotline (2824 6111).
