4 more Indonesian helpers included in HK’s 69 new Covid-19 cases

By Daisy CL Mandap

All 5 infected Indonesian domestic workers stayed in the dorm in this building in Sheung Wan

Four Indonesian domestic workers who shared a dormitory in Sheung Wan with a previously infected compatriot have tested positive for Covid-19, according to Hong Kong health authorities.

Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection told today’s press briefing that the cluster of Indonesian domestic workers was among 69 new cases today, which raised the city’s tally to 4,149.

All four helpers lived in a dormitory at Kin On Commercial Building on Jervois Street in Sheung Wan, where another Indonesian worker who was reported as a confirmed case on Aug 7 had stayed.

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The first case in the cluster, identified as Case No 3909, stayed in the dormitory between Jul 30 and 31, then moved to her new employer in Tseung Kwan O on Aug 1. She developed a fever on Aug 4 and tested positive three days later.

Of the four new cases, three were in the dormitory when Case 3909 was there. All three had no symptoms, but tested positive after they were moved to a quarantine centre.

The fourth was in the dormitory before and after the first infected helper moved in there. “There was a gap of two weeks, now the patient has tested positive,” Chuang said.

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Two of these helpers helped someone to move houses in Tuen Mun, and stayed with the person for a few days, said Chuang. Health authorities are tracking this homeowner so he or she could be quarantined.

One of them, case 4083, stayed at the house of a friend’s employer in Hang Hau between Jul 29 and 31. This employer will now be tracked and possibly quarantined.

Including the five in this cluster, a total of seven Indonesian domestic workers who had stayed in dorms in-between jobs have tested positive for Covid-19 since Aug 5.

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The possible spread of the virus in temporary shelters prompted the government to announce on Friday that all domestic workers living in agency dormitories would be tested.

The free tests were supposed to have started yesterday, but at least one agency group, the Hong Kong Union of Employment Agencies, has told The SUN that they have yet to hear from the Labour Department on when this would take place.

But Union head Thomas Chan said that the face masks that were also promised them on Friday for distribution to FDWs under their care had been turned over to them yesterday.

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Among the newly confirmed cases today, two were imported. One was a pilot from Ethiopia, and the other, a returnee from India whose three relatives tested positive earlier.

As in the past few weeks, out of the 45 local cases, a majority, or about 30, involved family members gathering or eating together, or with friends.

Linda Yu, chief manager of the Hospital Authority, said another five patients died in the past 24 hours, raising the death toll to 55.

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But 70 others recovered, making the total recovery figure rise to 2,916.

A total of 1,052 patients remain 19 hospitals and the treatment facilities in Lei Yue Mun and AsiaWorld-Expo, and of these, 36 are in critical condition, 59 are serious, and 957 are stable.

HK's health officials are concerned about the spike in deaths among patients, most of them elderly

Among the notable cases was a 78-year-old doctor who visited several elderly homes before developing symptoms on Aug 5. Among the facilities he visited was the Cornwall Elderly Home in Taipo, where a big cluster of cases has been found.

Also among the new infections is a 31-year-old nurse at Caritas Medical Centre, who, however, did not take care of any infected patients during the 14-day incubation period.

Concerns were again raised at several hospitals where patients who previously tested negative for the virus were eventually found infected after being moved to general wards.

They include a 62-year-old man who was admitted to Kwong Wah Hospital on Aug 2 for gastrointestinal problems. He developed a fever the next day, but tested negative so he was transferred to a general ward, then discharged on Aug 4.

On Aug 8, he was back with fever and flu, and was found to have Covid-19.

The patient lives in a housing block where there was a confirmed case, so the source of his infection will be traced. His wife, who is a hospital employee, has been quarantined.

Another case is a 70-year-old man who was diagnosed as infected at Kwong Wah Hospital yesterday, and was in close contact with a 54-year-old patient who tested positive today.

The third case is a 62-year-old man who went to the accident and emergency department of United Christian Hospital on Aug 8 because of dizziness. He was put in an observation ward, and was tested. After he tested positive, all those who were in the ward with him have been put under quarantine.

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Filipino to be tried for trying to buy goods with stolen card

by Vir B. Lumicao

The Filipino denied the charge at Eastern Court today

A Filipino man pleaded not guilty today, Aug 10, to theft and attempting to obtain property by deception for allegedly using a stolen credit card to pay for goods at a grocery in Discovery Bay.

Defendant J. Dagohoy entered his plea before Eastern Magistrate Bina Chainrai, who set down his two-day trial on Oct 14.

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Dagohoy appeared in court alone earlier and tried to enter a plea, but Magistrate So Wai-tak told him he needed to find a lawyer to represent him because his case was serious.

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Police said Dagohoy went to a Wellcome Supermarket in Discovery Bay on the evening of Mar 20 and filled his shopping cart with $2,975 worth of items including boxes of chocolates, whiskey, socks and stockings, as well as surgical masks.

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He allegedly tried to pay for the goods using a Visa credit card, but the sales lady told him there was a problem with the card.

The defendant reportedly said he owned the credit card and was also its authorized user.

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The prosecution said it would call the supermarket sales lady, the arresting officer and the card owner to give evidence.

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Filipina DH charged with stealing employer’s jewelry worth $860k

By Vir B. Lumicao

 

The case was heard at Kowloon City court today, and will resume on Sept 21 

A Filipina domestic helper was charged in Kowloon City Court today, Aug 10, of stealing $860,000 worth of branded watches and jewelry, as well as gold bars, from her female employer in Homantin, Kowloon over a 10-month period.

The defendant, Edarlyn Emperador, 50, was arrested by police on Aug 7 and charged with theft before Magistrate Ada Yim. No plea was taken as the prosecution said police were continuing their investigation and trying to recover the stolen items.

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The prosecution said that the theft happened between Oct 1, 2019 and Aug 6, 2020 inside the employer’s house at Block A, Celestial House.

Allegedly stolen were a Rolex watch, three Patek Philippe watches, a white gold Piaget watch, a Roger Dubuis watch, one pair of Hermes earrings, a platinum Roger Dubuis necklace and gold bars.

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Emperador is accused of pawning the items, as pawnshop receipts were allegedly recovered from her belongings.

The employer allegedly discovered that her watches and jewelry were missing when she tried to look for her Rolex watch in her closet on the evening of Aug 3. As she searched the closet, she found out that her other watches and jewelry were also missing.

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On Aug 6 the employer reportedly asked the defendant about the missing valuables, and she reportedly confessed taking them.

The employer reported the theft to police the next morning and Emperador was arrested,

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The items alleged to have been stolen were a Rolex watch, three Patek Philippe watches, a white gold Piaget watch, a Roger Dubuis watch, one pair of Hermes earrings, a platinum Roger Dubuis necklace and gold bars.

Magistrate Yim adjourned the case to Sept 21 at the request of the prosecution, who said police needed more time to investigate and retrieve the stolen property from the pawnshop.

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Magistrate Yim remanded Emperador in custody as the defendant made no application for bail.

Emperador’s is the latest in a string of cases involving Filipina helpers stealing large amounts of jewelry and cash from their employers in recent months, some of which are still pending in court.

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16 Filipinos ordered to pay $2k each for violating gathering ban

By Daisy CL Mandap

Police were all over Chater Road in Central to step up surveillance on FDHs on their day off

A total of 16 Filipinos were issued with penalty tickets, each costing $2,000, during a police operation yesterday in Central and Tseung Kwan O, as part of the stricter enforcement of the new stringent measures to control the spread of the coronavirus.

A police spokeswoman told The SUN today, Aug 10, that nine Filipinos, one man and eight women aged between 32 and 44 years old, were issued with penalty tickets in the vicinity of Chater Road, for violating Cap 599 (g), which provides that no more than two people can gather in public together.

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The same penalty was imposed on five other Filipinas who were stopped “in a small hiking path” in Tseung Kwan O for gathering beyond the required number.

Two other Filipinas were also issued the fixed penalty of $2,000 each for not wearing masks in the TKO path, in violation of cap 599 (i) which mandates the wearing of face masks in all public places, indoors or outdoors.

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Only one non-Filipino was reportedly fined the same amount for not wearing a mask in public. The police spokeswoman said the 35-year-old man was a Pakistani national who was caught violating the ban in Central.

At least one observer who was at some known Filipino haunts in Central early yesterday morning said the police officers were actually quite lenient, as they initially just issued warnings and distributed leaflets informing people of the gathering restrictions.

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But it seemed the kid-glove treatment did not last as the officers began issuing fixed penalty tickets afterwards.

More serious violations of the restrictions could lead to arrests, and a maximum fine of $25,000 and six months imprisonment.

 

In Stature Square, police also distributed leaflets  telling OFWs about gathering rules

On Friday, Labour Secretary Law Chi-kwong announced the stepped-up surveillance by the police, in the wake of reports that two Indonesian domestic workers who had stayed in dormitories run by employment agencies tested positive for Covid-19.

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He said then that 12 FDHs had been issued the fixed penalty ticket for violating the gathering ban.

Yesterday, another Indonesian FDH who had stayed in an agency shelter in Tsuen Wan also tested positive, but four other helpers who were there with her were all negative for the virus.

Today, three more Indonesian helpers who lived in the same boarding house in Sheung Wan as the second infected maid, also tested positive, although they were asymptomatic.

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Law announced that masks would be given free to helpers staying in dormitories, and they would all be tested starting yesterday.

At least one agency group, the Hong Kong Union of Employment Agencies, says its members got the free masks yesterday, but no one had approached them yet about the free tests for their recruits.

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HK legislator says, open holiday camps for FDWs in cramped shelters

By Daisy CL Mandap

Cheung says holiday camps should be opened up for FDWs if they cannot be given suitable accommodation

Labour Party legislator Fernando Cheung has called on the government to open holiday homes to foreign domestic workers if they cannot be given suitable accommodations while waiting for new employment visas, or are unable to return home because of travel restrictions.

The lawmaker made the call during a press conference on Aug 7 organized by the Asian Migrants Coordinating Body in the wake of two Indonesian domestic workers testing positive for Covid-19 after spending time in cramped shelters run by employment agencies.

As of today, Aug 9, a third Indonesian worker who had been staying in an agency-run shelter in Tuen Wan also tested positive for the coronavirus disease.

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“The Labour Department has a duty to go to these dormitories, set guidelines for them, including basic space requirement per person … and make sure that they are clean and suitable for transitional accommodation,” Cheung said.

“If there is a need to vacate some of them, or relocate some of the other migrant domestic workers to other places so as to decrease the crowding in these dormitories, then I would call for the government to open up vacation or holiday camps for such purpose.”

Alternatively, he said the migrant workers could be offered motel or hotel packages that would allow them to be housed in “more decent accommodation.”

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Cheung also echoed calls by various migrant organizations to conduct mass testing in all dormitories where there are FDWs, not just those run by employment agencies; and for basic protective supplies like masks, be given to them.

Just hours earlier, the government announced it would provide free Covid-19 tests to workers living in the agency dormitories, and also give them masks. But it did not extend the benefit to those staying in agencies run by non-government organizations and churches, or private boarding houses.

 

Sringatin calls for equality in the campaign to stop the virus spread

Sringatin, an Indonesian spokesperson of AMCB, also called on the government to give equal protection to FDWs in its fight against the pandemic, not just in terms of providing them with protective gear, but in extending the same financial assistance it has given to other residents.

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She also called on the government to “stop the discrimination”, saying FDWs are unfairly seen as  carriers of the virus, so that many are prohibited by their employers from going out on their days off when “we continue to go to the market and other public places.”

“The government must admit that there are domestic workers who were infected by the family they work with,” Sringatin said.

Even before the third wave of infections hit Hong Kong, 40% of FDWs had already been denied their rest days, said Sringatin, “and now, the number will rise significantly.””

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While they welcome the government’s announcement of free masks and testing, she said the government must also regulate agency dormitories as these are “mostly crowded, unsafe and unhygienic.”

On top of these, she said the basic question of where migrant workers in-between jobs will get the money to pay for temporary accommodations and expensive visa extensions when they are not allowed to take on jobs while waiting for their new work visa to be released.

“How about those domestic helpers who are stranded in Hong Kong and cannot leave because of (lack of) flight and lockdown? Where will they stay and who will take care of them?”, she asked.

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“We are vulnerable because of unfair, unequal and discriminatory policies of the Hong Kong government,” she said.

“We appeal to Hong Kong people not to ride on the paranoia and stop the discrimination.:

Cheung agreed that the government should do more to ensure employers comply with their contractual obligation to provide their helpers with a weekly time off.

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“The government should make an effort to remind employers that it is unlawful to deprive FDWs of their day-off,” he said.

Johannie Tong of the Mission for Migrant Workers also took up the call against discrimination, saying the government must “stop putting the blame on migrant workers.”

Instead of treating migrant workers unfairly, Tong said the government must adopt only one anti-epidemic policy for everyone in Hong Kong, including migrant workers.

Such policy should include providing free accommodation for all stranded MDWs, and quarantine facilities for those returning or arriving in Hong Kong for the first time; adopting clear guidelines for agency dormitories; and including migrants in the cash handout.

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3rd Indonesian maid in agency shelter among 72 new Covid-19 cases

By The SUN

The infected helper stayed in a dormitory above David Cheung's Detective Agency office (with blue sign)

A third Indonesian domestic helper staying in a boarding house run by an employment agency was among 72 new Covid-19 cases reported today, Aug. 9, which brought Hong Kong’s total tally to 4,080.

The 44-year-old maid was tested while staying in a unit at 74 Heung Wo Street in Tsuen Wan, which is operated by David Cheung Employment Agency.

According to Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection, the Indonesian was in-between jobs and was tested at the initiative of the agency, along with four other helpers living with her. She was the only one who tested positive.

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“We are still carrying out an investigation,” said Chuang. “(But) there may not be many people involved.”

The new infection was reported as the government was poised to conduct free testing of all foreign domestic workers staying in agency-run dormitories, an offshoot of two Indonesians testing positive for Covid-19 last week, one of whom stayed in four different places.

Chuang said today that no new infections were found in the tests conducted in the dormitories where the two previously infected helpers had stayed.

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She also deflected persistent queries from reporters about taking infection control measures targeting FDHs, with one reporter adding, “especially now that there are many gathering outside.”

Chuang said, “We have four thousand cases. Of course, there are foreign domestic helpers and local Hongkongers. It’s not surprising that they are testing positive as well. If you really want to cut the transmission chain, the best thing to do is to maintain social distancing.”

Chuang rejected notion of infection control measures targeting only FDHs

Of the new cases, nine were imported, including a 36-year-old Filipina domestic helper who tested positive the day after arriving from Manila.

Six are seafarers who were on a quarantined cargo ship off Lamma island. Chuang said staff from the Port Health Division distributed sample vials on board after one crew who boarded the ship after leaving the airport, was found positive for Covid-19.

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However, Chuang said the ship had previously traveled to Singapore and Malaysia before docking in Hong Kong, so the source of infection was not clear. She said all the infected crew members would be transferred to local hospitals for treatment.

The two other cases were a returnee from the United States who tested positive while under quarantine, and another from Gambia.

Dr Lau Ka-yin of the Hospital Authority reported the deaths of three elderly patients, who raised the total fatality toll to 51. But hours later, a government statement said another patient died at Prince of Wales Hospital, pushing the death toll to 52.

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The three patients who earlier succumbed to the disease were confined at Tuen Mun Hospital, North District Hospital, and Queen Mary Hospital, respectively.

Chuang reported that two more people tested positive at the Sage Kai Yip Home for the Elderly in Kowloon Bay, which made it necessary to evacuate more than 40 residents and staff from there.

“We think that there is an outbreak in that care home,” she said.

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Lau, on the other hand, noted one hospital case where a 70-year-old man who was admitted to Kwong Wah Hospital last Monday tested negative twice for the virus, but was eventually found infected.

He said this could be due to either of three factors: the patient had a low viral load initially, or because of variations in the sampling method and sensitivity of the tests. But he said it was likely the patient had been infected before he was admitted to hospital.

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Lau said that as of 9am, 1,041 patients remained in public hospitals and the treatment facilities at Lei Yue Mun and AsiaWorld-Expo. Of these, 41 are in critical condition, 59 are serious, and 941 are stable.

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