HK in talks with 11 countries on reopening borders

By The SUN

Yau says more travel destinations could open for HK once it gets the Covid-19 outbreak under control

Hong Kong officials say they’re in talk with 11 countries on creating “travel bubbles” that will allow travel between and among their residents.

Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau made the disclosure at  a press conference today, Sept 8, on the further easing of gathering restrictions in Hong Kong as the number of Covid-19 cases dipped to their lowest level since early July.

Yau said among the countries Hong Kong has been in talks with are Japan, Thailand, France, Switzerland and Germany, which acts as coordinator for other countries in Europe.

Asked if there was a timetable for reopening the city’s borders, Yau said: “Of course the timetable would be a matter of bilateral agreement between Hong Kong and the partnering countries.”

Pindutin para sa detalye!

Any agreement that will be reached would likely include a pre-boarding test which both governments must recognize, as well as a post-arrival check at the destination country.

“The purpose is to have a mutually confident approach where there can be travel between two jurisdictions,” Yau said.

For this to happen, he said both places should first have the coronavirus outbreak under control.

The commerce chief also announced that theme parks and exhibition venues could reopen next week if the downward trend in the number of cases continues.

Ocean Park and HK Disney could reopen by next week

He said both Ocean Park and Hong Kong Disneyland have already put in place infection controls such as requiring visitors to book their places ahead of time, taking temperatures at the entrance, and disinfecting facilities.

Call now!

He added nowhere in the world would people wait for a zero risk of infection before reopening amusement parks and exhibition venues.

Meanwhile, Secretary for Home Affairs Caspar Tsui said that also from next week, museums and libraries will reopen, but with crowd control firmly in place.

Performing venues will also be allowed to open, but they can only be used for rehearsals and not for public performances before an audience.

CALL US!

“If the situation further improves, we can open the venues to audiences,” Yau said, setting down October as the target date for allowing audiences in small numbers to attend live performances.

Skating rinks will also reopen for trainings, but with a maximum of four people, including the coach, gathering as a group.

Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong Dream Love

Water sports facilities will also be considered for reopening, subject to restrictions.

But sauna parlors and children’s playrooms where close contact cannot be avoided are not likely to reopen soon.

This week, more sports venues will reopen, following the opening of jogging trails, tennis courts, golf courses and other facilities that require little body contact among participants or players.

PADALA NA!

Call us now!

Pinay charged with fraud for using terminated contract to obtain $26k loan

By Vir B. Lumicao

 

The court extended the Filipina's bail while her lawyer studies the case further 

For obtaining a $26,000 loan using a terminated employment contract as income proof, a Filipina helper was charged with fraud in Eastern Court today, Sept 8.

No plea was taken from G. Camayang, 40, who is out on bail, as her lawyer said she still needs to obtain documents of the case and seek further legal advice.

Pindutin para sa detalye!

Earlier, the prosecution amended the charge to fraud from “obtaining advantage by deception” but gave no explanation.

Call now!

According to the charge, Camayang went to the Prime Credit Ltd shop on the second floor of United Centre in Admiralty on Mar 23 last year and applied for a loan, and did not reveal that she had been dismissed.

Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong Dream Love

The defendant later found an employer in Tsuen Wan for whom she works until now.

Magistrate Bina Chainrai adjourned the hearing until Oct 20 and extended Camayang’s bail but raised it to $500.

CALL US!

Chainrai told the defendant not to leave Hong Kong, stay in the employer’s address that she had given the court, and report to the police once a week.

PADALA NA!

Call us now!

4 people may now gather in public as Covid-19 cases drop to 6

By Daisy CL Mandap

Four people may now gather in public together from this Friday

Starting this Friday, Sept. 11, the number of people who may gather in public will again be increased to four from the present two, and more public venues such as mahjong parlours, games arcades and most sports venues will reopen.

However, the mask-wearing in public places and mass transportation will remain in place.

The more relaxed measures were announced today, Sept. 8, as the Centre for Health Protection announced that the number of new infections had gone down to six, the lowest in more than two months.

Among the new cases were two Filipina domestic helpers who tested positive on second screening while they were in quarantine. One arrived on Aug 28 and the other, on Sept. 2.

A seafarer who arrived from Ukraine made up the third imported case on the list.

Pindutin para sa detalye!

Of the three remaining cases, one was linked to an outbreak at the Transport City Building in Tai Wai, while the two others were uncovered from the ongoing universal community testing program.

The linked case was a cleaner in the Tai Wai building where 20 confirmed cases have so far been detected. CHP’s Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan said more than 400 specimen bottles have been distributed to tenants of the building, and about 25 close contacts on the heavily infected sixth floor will be sent to quarantine.

The two cases detected through the UCTP were a Tai Wo Hau resident who was found to be a family member of two infected patients, and a housewife who lives with her family in Tuen Mun and often went to the wet market and a nearby mall for shopping.

Call now!

Dr Chuang also reported that test results from the Metropark Hotel in Mong Kok have all been negative so far, despite three guests staying on the same floor, and a relative of one of them, testing positive for Covid-19 last week.

All the test results gathered so far from three detention centres have also yielded negative results. Two detainees who spent time in either the Lai Chi Kok Detention Centre, Siu Lam Psychiatric Centre, Castle Peak Detention Facility and Pik Uk Prison, were found positive last week.

Also, a Thai overstayer who was found infected during routine testing at the Castle Peak Detention Centre reportedly had a meal a few weeks before his arrest with a British national who tested positive for the virus afterwards. “So maybe that’s how he got infected,” said Chuang.

Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong Dream Love

The new cases brought the city’s total tally to 4,896 with 98 related deaths. A 90-year-old man who passed away at 8:57 this morning at the Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital was the latest fatality.

But as of 9am today, only 220 confirmed patients are still being treated in public hospitals and a community treatment facility.

Masks should still be worn while in public places

Meanwhile, Secretary for Food and Health Dr Sophia Chan said the further relaxation of social distancing measures were in line with the government’s “suppress and lift approach” to combating the pandemic.

The modified restrictions will take effect for a week from Friday, while those that have not been changed, like mask-wearing in public, will be extended for another week.

Dr Chan said the government is still reviewing whether to reopen other more risky venues like bath houses, swimming pools, karaokes and pubs, and will make its decision known by next week.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

She again spoke of the importance of the UCTP, saying it has so far uncovered a number of silent transmissions going on in the community, including those possibly linked to two foreign domestic helpers who were found infected during the mass testing.

The health chief also warned that the city should already be preparing for the next wave of transmissions which could happen at the onset of winter, but has yet to see the end of the current round of infections.

She said that as of noon today, a total of 1.23 million people have already signed up for the universal testing, and 932,000 results have already been determined.

PADALA NA!

Call us!

Call us now!

Filipina DH jailed 4 weeks for offering sex online

By Vir B. Lumicao

The magistrate said the defendant's financial need did not justify her engaging in prostitution

A 44-year-old Filipina domestic helper who pleaded guilty to breaching her condition of stay by engaging in prostitution was jailed for four weeks today, Sept 8, by an Eastern Court magistrate.

J. F. Sarmiento’s lawyer said in mitigation that the defendant committed the offense to make extra money due to financial need. But he was rebuked by Magistrate Bina Chainrai, who said her need for money does not justify her committing the offense.

Pindutin para sa detalye!

“Is financial need a ground for mitigation?” the magistrate told the lawyer with sarcasm.

In sentencing the defendant, Chainrai said, “Your employment contract states that you can’t take on another work other than as a domestic helper.”

Call now!

The magistrate gave Sarmiento a one-third discount for pleading guilty to the charge and sent her to jail for four weeks.

The charge sheet read to the defendant said that during a police operation on Sept 6 against illegal sex workers in Wanchai, an officer on cyber patrol found an advertisement offering sex to interested males. The ad had a contact number, 9380 4424.

Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong Dream Love

An officer dialed the number and a woman arranged a meet-up outside the Wanchai MTR station. The undercover officer then met with the defendant.

The two went to Room 118 on the first floor of Park Excellent Hotel in Lap Hing Bldg on Hennessy Road where the woman said she would charge $1,500 for one full sex.      

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

The officer paid $1,500 in marked money and went to the shower as instructed by the defendant. When he emerged, he announced he was an officer and arrested the woman. The marked money, a KY Jelly bottle, a red handbag and a mobile phone were seized.

Police said Sarmiento admitted the offense under caution during investigation.

The prosecution said she had a clear record. The prosecutor said the Immigration Department confirmed the defendant was a domestic helper at Elizabeth House in Causeway Bay.

In mitigation, the defense lawyer said Sarmiento was a single mother whose husband left her nine years ago. She is supporting her two daughters, one aged 17 and another who was 15 when she gave birth to a boy, now 7 years old.

An older Filipina who was in the courtroom with two compatriots, later approached the court interpreter outside the courtroom and was overheard as saying she was Sarmiento’s employer.

PADALA NA!

Call us!

Call us now!

Another Filipina DH in hospital, battling stage 4 lung cancer

By Vir B. Lumicao

Maylyn is hoping to get well enough to go home and be with her kids 

A 35-year-old Filipina helper who is waging a battle against stage 4 lung cancer remains hopeful the medical treatment she is getting in Hong Kong hospitals will restore her physical strength to at least enable her to travel home.

Maylyn Mauricio went public with her condition a month after she was admitted to Queen Mary Hospital in Pokfulam following doctors’ detection of her illness during a checkup for breathing difficulty on Aug 5.

The patient, a mother of a boy aged 16 and a girl aged 14, said she was shocked when she was told of the diagnosis. She is the second Filipina to have been reported to be in hospital fighting the disease in the past fortnight.

Pindutin para sa detalye!

 “Nagulat ako nang nalaman kong may lung cancer ako dahil hindi naman ako naninigarilyo,” said Mauricio, who hails from Batac, Ilocos Norte. (I was shocked because I don’t even smoke)

 Nalulungkot ako dahil may dalawang anak ako na nangangailangan pa ng suporta.”

(I am sad because I have two children who still need my support)

 She said she does not know how she got the disease.

 But in a post on the Facebook group DWC Help Group on Sunday, she said she often got  drenched in sweat while sleeping in her “cabinet-size” 18-square-foot room in a 500sq-ft flat with only a small fan to cool her. 

Call now!

She also worried about  having been constantly exposed to the formaldehyde that her employer used to disinfect their house against the coronavirus.

The maid said she was seven months into her work contract with her employer whose 80-year-old mother needed to have a companion at home, when she got sick.

The employer sent Mauricio to a private clinic on Aug 5, suspecting she had caught the coronavirus after complaining of painful breathing. The doctor said she needed to undergo further examination and referred her to Queen Mary that same day.

Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong Dream Love

She said she went home to tell her boss and get some clothes, then went to the hospital. After several clinical procedures the doctors said there was fluid in her lungs that needed to be drained and she had to be confined in the hospital.

The next day, she was transferred to Grantham Hospital, a hospital in Aberdeen which specialized in cardio-pulmonary diseases.

“Dito ako dinala dahil kailangan ma-drain as tubig sa aking baga upang makahinga po ako ng maayos,” said Mauricio. (I was brought here because the fluid in my lungs needs to be drained so I can breathe properly).

Mauricio is confined at Grantham Hospital, which specializes in cardio-pulmonary diseases

Doctors at Grantham inserted a tube in her lung to drain the fluid and took a piece of her tissue for biopsy because of lumps in her neck and collarbone. On Aug 12, her attending physician diagnosed her with lung cancer.

On Sept 1, the doctor referred her to an oncologist at Queen Mary who found out that her lung cancer was at stage 4.

CALL US!

Mauricio said any day this week, she would be subjected to PET scan for a thorough check of her entire body to find out other cancers inside her.

She said doctors were baffled because she has both small triangular cells, which indicated lung cancer, as well as circular cancer cells.

Mauricio is also scheduled for a CT scan on Sept 18, but that could be precluded by the earlier and more comprehensive PET scan.

Pindutin para sa detalye

Meanwhile, the helper said she chats regularly with her employer although they have not seen each other in person since she was admitted because visitors are not allowed inside hospitals.

The employer reportedly told Mauricio to inform her when the hospital would discharge her so her employment agent could assist in her repatriation.

Mauricio said she had also gotten in touch with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration but no one from there or the Consulate has checked up on her.

But welfare officer Virsie Tamayao has reportedly promised to help book her flight and arrange for her transport back to her home in Batac.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

The patient said her fellow members in the born-again church, Fishers of Men Ministry, have been bringing her food and other things she needs, although they can’t go beyond the hospital lobby.

“Ayaw ko munang umuwi dahil mahinang-mahina pa ako. Magpapalakas muna ako ng katawan. Natatakot ako sa Covid at hindi ko pa kayang magbiyahe nang malayo pauwi sa probinsiya,” the patient said.

Besides, she said she knows she can get better hospital treatment here than at home, and won’t even have to worry too much about the cost for as long as she has her Hong Kong ID.

 In her Facebook post, Mauricio said she ultimately looks to divine healing: “Despite this condition po, I am praying and hoping that God will help me to get through this. And I will be healed!”

(Those who want to get in touch with Maylyn for financial help and moral support may send her a message directly to her telephone number: 5286 4193)

PADALA NA!

Call us!

Call us now!

Newly arrived Filipina DH one of 11 new Covid-19 cases

By The SUN

Dr Chuang says the Filipina DH was returning to work in HK when she tested positive at the airport

A newly arrived Filipina domestic worker who was set to return to her work in the city was among 11 new cases recorded in Hong Kong today, Sept 7.

The Filipina, who should have presented a negative test result for the coronavirus upon check-in at Manila International Airport, was the only imported case reported.

According to Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection at today’s press briefing, six of the new cases are linked to previous infections. Five were detected from the universal community testing program, including one linked case.

Pindutin para sa detalye!

All but one of the six linked cases were related to what Dr Chuang had called as a “small-scale outbreak” in the Transport City Building in Tai Wai, where a total of nine cases have so far been detected

As a result of the new cases, about 20-30 people working on the sixth floor of the building will be quarantined. Out of a total of 12 units on that floor, four have tenants who have been infected.

“We think there is a small-scale outbreak in [the building],” Chuang said. “We will conduct testing on people from the entire block.”

Call now!

The Tai Wai cases include an office worker on the sixth floor, whose colleague had tested positive earlier. Another had visited a warehouse on the same floor.

A staff member of the management office on the ground floor also caught the virus, along with two family members who tested positive after being admitted to Yan Chai Hospital, as well as a close contact.

Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong Dream Love

Among the four cases caught through the UCPT and whose sources are unknown are: a pregnant woman who dispensed Chinese medicine from a shop on Prince Edward Road West; a retiree who bought groceries from the Yeung Uk market; a 63-year-old man who works at Ka Ho Restaurant in Ngau Tau Kok and lives in Lam Tin; and a housewife who lives in Wong Tai Sin and exercised regularly and often went to Ngau Chi Wan market.

An Indonesian DH found infected earlier again tested positive during the mass testing (RTHK photo)

There was another positive case detected from the UCTP, a 48-year-old Indonesian domestic worker who was found infected previously while staying in a hostel run by an employment agency in Tsuen Wan. Case No 4249 was not included in the fresh cases as she had developed antibodies on her discharge from hospital on Aug 29.

Meanwhile, a 40-year-old man tested preliminary positive from the UCT yesterday was found negative of the virus during two successive tests at United Christian Hospital where he was taken for treatment. He did not have antibodies, however, meaning he could not have been infected previously.

CALL US!

Chuang said that for now, the man’s case is considered as a “false positive”.

But she said that the silent carriers detected through the UCTP showed the importance of the mass testing, as “even one or two cases (of unknown source) can leade to an outbreak.”

According to Dr Lau Ka-hin of the Hospital Authority, three patients died over the past 24 hours, taking the death toll to 97. Another patient who was diagnosed during post-mortem took the total number to 98.

Pindutin para sa detalye

The recent fatalities included a 69-year-old man who passed away at Tuen Mun Hospital, and two patients who were admitted to Queen Elizabeth Hospital: an 82-year-old man and a 96-year-old woman.

The latest cases brought the number of confirmed cases in the city to 4,889. Of these,  329 are still receiving treatment in 19 public hospitals and the community treatment facility at AsiaWorld-Expo.

PADALA NA!

Call us!

Call us now!