CE says Covid-19 spread ‘really critical’ as she orders govt staff to work from home

By The SUN

CE Lam ramps up public health measures amid a 'really critical' Covid-19 situation in HK

Civil servants providing non-emergency services will go back to working from home starting on Monday, as the number of Covid-19 cases surged to 108 in just eight hours yesterday, a single-day record.

The work from home arrangement was part of tough new measures announced by Chief Executive Carrie Lam earlier today, Jul 19, in response to what she called as the “really critical” situation in Hong Kong right now.

“I think the situation is really critical and there is no sign the situation is being brought under control,” she said in an emergency briefing attended by her top officials.

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She said the local situation mirrors what is happening in other parts of the world where the outbreak shows no sign of easing.

But she rejected a suggestion that all of Hong Kong’s 7.5 million residents be tested, as what has been done in some countries.

“To us, at the moment, that is not very realistic because we do not have that testing capacity,” she said.

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Another new rule is to require the wearing of masks in all indoor public spaces like supermarkets and wet markets.

Students who took the DSE should not go back to their schools to pick up their results which are due out on Wednesday, and should just do so online.

She also said university applications should be done online as much as possible.

The CE also announced special infection-control measures, including the thorough cleansing and disinfection of 12 wet markets across Kowloon, identified as one of the high-risk factors in the latest outbreak.

 

Collection centres have been set up  to collect specimen samples from high risk individuals like taxi drivers

The new steps also include setting up specimen collection centres at different spots in the city to collect swab samples from high-risk individuals including taxi drivers, staff at restaurants, elderly care homes and property management firms.

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Lam announced a further one-week extension of new restrictions announced on Jul 15, including allowing only a maximum of four people to gather in public, banning dine-in at restaurants after 6pm, and closing down 12 types of venues, including bars and gyms.

That time, the CE ruled out directing civil servants to go back to working from home, saying the government was providing essential services.

Asked about the turnaround, Civil Service Secretary Patrick Nip said: “Of course, that will have an impact on people, on the provision of services, but I think that’s the price we have to pay at this juncture.”

The government first ordered the work-from-home arrangement for government personnel in mid-February, when the coronavirus outbreak started getting severe. But during that so-called second wave of the outbreak, the total number of cases in a day rarely went past 50.

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Churches stop public masses anew amid spike in Covid-19 cases

By The SUN

Restrictions on religious gatherings were relaxed further just last Jul 1

Most churches have again stopped holding public masses in the wake of record increases in the number of coronavirus infections in Hong Kong, most of them locally transmitted.

The move came as the government imposed the most stringent regulations on public gatherings since the start of the outbreak in Hong Kong in January. The new restrictions will last from Jul 15-28.

Among the first to announce the suspension of public masses was the head of the Catholic Church in Hong Kong, Cardinal John Tong.

A notice published in the Chancery’s website quotes the Cardinal as saying that: 

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1)  All public masses will be suspended in all parish churches and affiliated chapels as well as all other places (for example, the Catholic Centre in Central) where regular Sunday and weekday public services are held. Other religious group activities, except for weddings and funerals will likewise be suspended. For weddings, no more than 20 people will be allowed to gather, during which no food or drink will be served, while there is no restriction on the number of participants for funerals.

2)  Parish churches and chapels will remain open for personal prayers by individuals, and visits to the Blessed Sacrament. Individual visits to a church or chapel for prayers are not considered as group gatherings, so there is no restriction on their number.

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      3) Precautionary measures must, however, be taken during these individual visits: (a) a mask must be worn throughout the visit; (b) body temperature must be taken; (c) hands must be cleansed with sanitizer; (d) individuals must be at least 1.5 meter apart.

Public masses are again suspended for at least 2 weeks starting Jul 15

In place of attending public masses, worshippers are urged to take part in online masses and receive the Holy Communion spiritually, read the Sunday liturgy in the Bible, say the Rosary, or do other religious reflections.

Baptisms or confirmations scheduled over the next two weeks will be suspended, or reset to another date, depending on the public health situation.

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Several other churches have likewise announced the suspension of public masses or services.

The move comes just two weeks after restrictions on religious gatherings were relaxed to allow churches to fill up to 80% of their usual capacity. For the entire month of June, they could only fill up to 50% of their capacity.

But three months before this, or starting on Feb. 14, all public religious gatherings were stopped during what is now regarded as the first wave of coronavirus infections in Hong Kong.

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HK records 64 new and 60 preliminary positive Covid-19 cases, plus 1 death

By The SUN

People are again warned to avoid going out, as 124 confirmed and suspected Covid-19 cases were reported today

Hong Kong may have recorded the biggest number of coronavirus cases today, Jul 18, with 64 confirmed and 60 preliminary positive cases.

They brought Hong Kong’s total confirmed cases to 1,778. Of today’s new cases, 60 were locally acquired.

The figures nearly breached the record 67 new cases reported on Thursday, Jul 16, of which 63 were community transmissions. But on that day, there were only 10 preliminary positive cases.

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Also today, a 94-year-old male patient died at about 10am at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, becoming the 12^th recorded fatality from the disease, and the fourth in four days. The patient, who had underlying illnesses, had been critically ill since Jul 13.

Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection said there appears to be no end in sight for the spread of the infection, as 35 of the new cases are of unknown origin.

“Judging from the number of cases recorded these past few days, the trend is still going up,” she said at today’s press briefing. “I appeal to members of the public to please stay at home as far as possible and avoid gathering activities.”

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Of the four imported cases, one was a Filipina domestic helper who flew in from Manila aboard a Cathay Pacific flight. The three others are a pilot from Kazakhstan, a returnee from Pakistan, and a seafarer from India.

There was also a foreign domestic helper who tested positive along with a family member, but the nationality of both was not disclosed.

Of around 400 cases recorded since the third wave of infection occurred starting in the first week of July, nearly half were reported in Tsz Wan Shan, where a cluster of cases were found in an elderly home, a wet market, and several restaurants.

According to Chuang, between 150 and 160 cases were recorded in the district up until yesterday.

A shuttered Bun Kee Congee & Noodle House: many of the first cases in Tsz Wan Shan were linked to it

Today, several more cases were linked to three restaurants in the area: Bun Kee Congee & Noodle House, Windsor and Green River restaurants.

The linked cases included two waitresses at Via Restaurant on Tung Choi street in Mong Kok, two friends who played ping-pong at the Victory Table Tennis Sports Centre in San Po Kong, along with another who tested positive earlier, and three more staff of the Tuen Mun Eye Centre.

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At least 123 employees of the eye centre will undergo virus tests, after several patients tested positive earlier. Of the 35 close contacts of the infected patients, 30 tested negative while two were found infected. Three more results are still pending.

A team of health experts visited the eye centre earlier today to investigate and try to find out the source of infection.

Another cluster of cases involve four people who tested positive after a gathering in the Pier Market at the Grand Tower in Mong Kok, where about 80 people seated at about a dozen table had dinner and sang karaoke together. One other guest at the gathering tested preliminary positive.

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The untraceable cases include a 16-year-old girl who studies at True Light Girls’ College in Yau Ma Tei, a 42-year-old hawker in the same district, a 61-year-old male singer in Tsim Sha Tsui, a 72-year-old male cleaner at the airport, a 50-year-old female shop attendant at the Island Resort Mall in Siu Sai Wan, and a customs officer working at the North Point Customs Headquarters, and his wife.

Dr Lau Ka-hin, chief manager of the Hospital Authority, said also among the new cases is a 76-year-old patient who tested positive while confined in the general ward of Queen Elizabeth Hospital, along with three other people.

He tested positive yesterday after a nasal swab, after testing negative during repeated tests in the past few days.

Lau said that 421 Covid-19 patients are confined in 14 hospitals. Of these, 13 are in critical condition, 11 are in serious condition, and the rest are stable.

Ten more patients were discharged today, for a total of 1,274 recoveries.

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Employers must pay for quarantine and Covid-19 test of their FDHs, says LD

By The SUN

Employers must pay for the swab test and quarantine of OFWs arriving in HK from Jul 25

The Hong Kong Labour Department has told employers that they should bear the cost of the nucleic acid (swab) test for their foreign domestic helpers flying into the city starting on Jul 25, as well as the cost of their 14-day hotel quarantine, plus food allowance.

This follows an earlier announcement that all travelers coming from the Philippines, Indonesia, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and South Africa must show proof that they tested negative for Covid-19 no longer than 72 hours before their departure.

A press release issued today, Jul 18, states that employers will be required to sign an undertaking to the government that indicates they will comply with the pre-boarding requirements of their domestic helper who come from any of these countries, and pay for the cost of the swab test.

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These requirements include a certificate showing that a nucleic acid test was conducted within 72 hours prior to departure, and that the result was negative for the FDHs who present it to the airline prior to boarding.

The FDH must also bring along the original test result issued by a laboratory or healthcare institution, plus a letter certifying that the health facility is recognised or approved by the government of the country where the FDHs was coming from.

In addition, the FDH must show proof of confirmation of room reservation in a hotel in Hong Kong for not less than 14 days starting on the day of her arrival in the city.

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“Employers found to be in breach of the undertaking may be given an adverse record and ImmD may refuse their future applications for employment of FDHs,” said the statement from the Labour Department.

“Employers are also reminded to comply with their obligations under the Standard Employment Contract, including bearing the accommodation expenses and providing food allowance to FDHs during the FDHs' compulsory quarantine.”

The food allowance for FDHs is currently set at $1,121 a month, so it should be half that,or $560.50, for the 14-day quarantine. However, no mention was made of whether the FDH should be paid her salary for the duration of the quarantine.

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The statement also said that the FDH must produce the said documents prior to boarding the aircraft from their home country, so the employers and their employment agencies must prepare them beforehand.

“If an FDH is not able to meet any of the conditions specified by the Secretary for Food and Health, he/she may not be allowed to board the flight to Hong Kong and newly arrived FDHs may be denied entry into Hong Kong upon arrival,” said the statement.

The FDHs are also reminded to remain at the hotel as stated in the quarantine order during their compulsory 14-day quarantine.

 

Everyone under quarantine must stay at their designated hotels, or risk prosecution

Employment agencies, on the other hand, are required to give correct information about the new regulations to the employer and the FDH, and help them make the necessary arrangements.

Those who fail to comply with this requirement will be penalized in line with the Code of Practice for Employment Agencies.

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The new measures are being taken amid a recent surge in the number of Covid-19 infections in Hong Kong, most of them locally acquired.

But since mandatory swab testing was introduced for all new arrivals in Hong Kong on Apr 7, a significant number of travelers coming from Pakistan and India, as well as FDHs from the Philippines, were found infected.

In the past week alone, an average of two Filipina domestic workers who arrived in Hong Kong tested positive for the coronavirus disease, although most did not show symptoms.

A list of licensed hotels for the mandatory quarantine is available at the website of the Office of the Licensing Authority of the Home Affairs Department (www.hadla.gov.hk/cgi-bin/hadlanew/search.pl? client=1&searchtype=1&licenceNo=&name=&address=&room=0&district=0&displaytype=2).

When choosing a hotel for quarantine purpose, employers and EAs (if applicable) are reminded to contact the hotel for more details and refer to the Infection Control Advice for Person under Compulsory Home Quarantine (www.chp.gov.hk/files/pdf/infection_control_advice.pdf) issued by the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health.

For labor-related inquiries, the LD may be contacted through the dedicated FDH hotline at 2157 9537 (manned by "1823") or by email to fdh-enquiry@labour.gov.hk. 

Inquiries as to FDH visa applications, may be coursed through the Immigration Department enquiry hotline at 2824 6111 or by email to enquiry@immd.gov.hk.

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Negative test, hotel quarantine imposed on travelers from Phl, 6 other countries

By Daisy CL Mandap

 

All new arrivals from the Philippines, whatever their visa status, will be covered by the new rules

Starting next Saturday, Jul 25, all travelers coming from the Philippines, Indonesia, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and South Africa will have to present a negative test result from Covid-19 before being allowed to board a flight going to Hong Kong.

In addition, all such travelers, whatever their visa status in Hong Kong, will have to present proof of confirmation of a hotel stay in Hong Kong for no less than 14 days, for their mandatory quarantine starting on the day of their arrival.

The requirements are set out in a regulation published today, Jul 8, in the Official Gazette, titled “Prevention and Control of Disease (Regulation of Cross-Boundary Conveyances and Travellers) Regulation.

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The new rules were issued following a meeting yesterday afternoon between Hong Kong officials led by Deputy Secretary for Health Howard Chan and the consulates of the affected countries, including Consul General Raly Tejada.

The inclusion of Filipino residents in the restriction came as a surprise because up until Thursday, the government only mentioned as “high risk” five countries where there is a rapid spread of the coronavirus.

For the Philippines and Indonesia, only foreign domestic workers and possibly, air and sea crew, were mentioned.

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ConGen Tejada said he asked if exemption for the hotel quarantine could be given to Filipino residents who have their own homes, but was told no.

“Nilaban ko yan,” said Congen, but “adamant sila. Wala daw exception.”

(I fought for that. But they were adamant. They said there are no exceptions <to the rule>).

The new regulation should have taken effect on Jul 15, along with tightened restrictions on social gathering and a ban of establishments where large gatherings take place, including all venues operated by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, but the consuls general asked for more time to prepare.

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“Since they wanted to implement it immediately all consulates were unanimous in asking for more time to prepare, hence the 25 July 2020 effective date,” said Congen Tejada.

Congen Raly with Labor Secretary Law Chi-kwong: all expenses of FDWs should be borne by employers

“We also got assurances from the Labor Department representatives that employers will be responsible for the cost of testing and hotel bookings,” he added.

But he agreed the new regulations will make it more difficult for Filipinos to travel in and out of Hong Kong.

Currently, Hong Kong only requires all arriving travelers to undergo testing on arrival, and if negative, to spend the mandatory 14-day quarantine either in their homes or a designated place.

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The only exceptions are arriving residents from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh who are put in quarantine facilities operated by the government.

Under the new regulations, anybody who stayed for 14 days in any of the seven specified countries before boarding the flight to Hong Kong, will have to present: 

1) a letter or certificate issued by a laboratory or healthcare institution bearing the name and identity document of the traveler specifying that he/she underwent a nucleic acid test for Covid-19 within 72 hours before the scheduled time of departure, and the result was negative.

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2) The original of the test result showing the name and identity card or passport number of the traveler; 

3) A letter in English or Chinese issued by the relevant authority in which the laboratory or health institution is located, that the said facility is recognized or approved by the government;

4) The traveler has confirmation in English or Chinese of room reservation in a hotel in Hong Kong for not less than 14 days starting on the day of arrival in the city.

The airline, in turn, must submit to the Department of Health before arrival in Hong Kong, a declaration that each of its relevant passengers on board, had produced the required documents mentioned above.

The new regulations do not apply to travelers who are just transiting in Hong Kong, and all those exempt from quarantine rules, like air and sea crew.

An operator of an airline or sea vessel who does not follow the regulation may be charged, and upon conviction, face a fine of up to $50,000 and imprisonment for six months.

As for travelers, those who knowingly or recklessly provide false or misleading information may, upon conviction, be fined a maximum of $10,000 and imprisoned for up to six months.

The new rules will make travel for Filipinos to and from HK more difficult

The new rules could further discourage travelers from the Philippines to come to Hong Kong, or Filipino residents here to fly to the Philippines for business, personal or leisure purposes.

The Philippines also requires a negative Covid-19 test on arrival, and a 14-day mandatory quarantine. 

While returning overseas Filipino workers get tested for free and are quarantined in hotels fully paid for by the government, non-OFWs bear the cost of the hotel quarantine, although right now, they also get tested for free.

But the big problem is with the release of the test result. The government says the result will be issued within 3-10 days, but this is not guaranteed. 

One can avail of a guaranteed test result within 24 hours, but this costs upwards of Php9,000 per person if administered by high-end laboratories, or hospitals like the Makati Medical Center.

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