Cooler week forecast as OFW hikers respond to fine HK weather

By Vir B. Lumicao 

DWC members scaling a cliff on the Green Dragon Trail in Tung Chung on Saturday

Cooler morning and nights are forecast for the week ahead as a dry northeast monsoon is expected to bring generally fine weather to Hong Kong and the rest of Guangdong this week.

Fine weather this past weekend attracted droves of hikers to Hong Kong trails, including OFW groups that took to the great outdoors despite morning drizzles and government reminders on social distancing because of the pandemic.

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A prelude to the cooler days ahead was recorded by the Hong Kong Observatory today, Oct 18, when the temperature at three high points in the city dropped to below 20 degrees Celsius.

The temperature at Tai Mo Shan, the highest peak in Hong Kong, dropped to 16.9 degrees, followed by 17.3 at Ngong Ping in Lantau, and 17.7 degrees at Tait’s Cairn near Kowloon Peak.

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The rest of the SAR generally ranged from 20 degrees at The Peak to 24.8 in Tuen Mun.   

Adventurer's Analyn Soriba conquers Lamma's Penis Rock on a fine Sunday 

The Observatory said the temperature difference between day and night this week will be relatively large over inland areas. It forecast a range of 21 to 23 degrees Celsius for the next nine days from Monday.

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It will be slightly cooler in the morning and at night as a low pressure area over the western North Pacific is expected to develop gradually in the next two days and move in the general direction of the main Philippine island of Luzon.

OFW hikers such as the DWC Saturday Group, Adventurers and random groups of workers took advantage of the benign weather to climb the hills and post their photographs on social media.

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Other groups plan to use the fine weather forecast for the next weekend for a good cause. 

Event invite for next Sunday's charity hike for the benefit of quarantined helpers

Marites Palma, The SUN Hong Kong contributor, is calling on sturdy-legged supporters of her Social Justice for Migrant Workers group for a hike on Red Brick Hill in Aberdeen next Sunday, Oct 25, to raise funds for her advocacy. 

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The Resolve Foundation 2019 fellow is currently helping distributing food packs and cash aid to terminated and quarantined OFWs. Initially, she received funding for this mission from HerFund, a non-government organization.

Meanwhile, Clean Up Hong Kong Trails, or CUHKT, a group of dedicated trail walkers comprising mostly Filipino and Indonesian domestic helpers, is organizing clean-up 

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Final rites tomorrow for OFW found dead in swimming pool

By Daisy CL Mandap 

The cause of death of the young and sporty Andrelyn is still a mystery

There will be a final viewing of the remains of Andrelyn P. Onera, the young Filipina domestic worker who was found floating in a pool in Laguna City, Lam Tin, on Sept. 20, and declared dead at United Christian Hospital three days later.

The public viewing will start at 2pm in the mortuary of United Christian, and will last for 45 minutes. After a final blessing her body will be taken away for cremation, in accordance with her family’s wishes.

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Her younger sister, Jenny Mae Bandillon, said in a phone message that their aunt who is based in Hong Kong will do a livestreaming of the final rites for their family who are all unable to leave the Philippines because of the pandemic.

After Onera’s casket is taken to the crematorium there will be short program where her family will be asked to deliver messages.

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Merly Bunda, a townmate of Onera, said the family opted for cremation because of the difficulty of transporting the remains of the deceased to her hometown of Dingle in Iloilo because of travel restrictions within the Philippines.

An autopsy was carried out on Onera’s remains as doctors seemed unable to diagnose the cause of her untimely death.

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The 28-year-old Onera, a single mother to a 12-year-old boy, was known to be sporty and healthy, who often spent her days off hiking or swimming in the open sea.

Bandillon said her sister had no known ailment, and was a fun-loving and dutiful mother and daughter, who sent her younger siblings to school, and provided for their family.

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Doctors at United Christian had earlier ruled out drowning as the cause of death, or concussion as a result of having slipped on the floor in the swimming pool area.

The doctor reportedly said Onera’s body just stopped beating while she was in the water, but the exact cause of this was unknown.

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On the day she was found lifeless in the pool, Onera reportedly spent the morning resting inside her room, before chatting with her son and mother over lunch. At around 3pm, she borrowed the access pass to the estate’s clubhouse from her employer, saying she wanted to go swimming.

About 30 minutes later, the estate’s lifeguard accompanied by police officers, knocked on the employer’s door to inform her that Onera had been fished out unconscious from the swimming pool and taken to hospital. She never regained consciousness.

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17 new Covid-19 cases, all imported, reported today

By The SUN 

11 of the 17 new confirmed patients flew in from India (RTHK file photo)

Hong Kong health authorities have reported 17 new coronavirus cases today, Oct 17, all of them imported.

Of these, 11 were new arrivals from India, listed as among the high risk countries where travelers are required to present a negative test result for Covid-19 before being allowed to board their flights to Hong Kong.

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The new cases also included four foreign domestic workers, three females and one male. Two females, aged 28 and 27, flew in aboard CX 798 from Jakarta. Another female, aged 30, took CX 906 from Manila, while the lone male, aged 39, came from New Delhi.

No press briefing was held today, and the cases were listed down in a press release posted on the government website.

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The other cases were listed as a 40-year-old man from Pakistan, a 31-year-old man from Morocco, and a 35-year-old female from France.

Russia and France have just been added to the list of high risk countries, with the negative test result for travelers from both countries to take effect starting on Oct 25.

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Apart from India, the Philippines, Indonesia, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, South Africa, Kazakhstan, the United States and Britain, are also in the restricted list.

Earlier, the Secretary for Food and Health Dr Sophia Chan said in a radio interview that the government is studying the possibility of setting up a Covid-19 testing laboratory at the airport, after a tentative agreement on creating a travel bubble between Hong Kong and Singapore was reached.

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Under the deal, travelers from the two cities can get in and out of the other destination freely, without having to undergo a 14-day quarantine. But certain restrictions will be imposed, like prior testing before travel, and taking only specified flights.

Dr Chan said it was important to speed up travel once the pandemic eases, and having a testing lab at the airport can help shorten the testing time for both inbound and outbound travelers.

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She also said that no positive result was found from the 11,000 specimen samples submitted to the temporary testing facilities set up in Wanchai, Yau Tsim Mong, Kwai Tsing and Kowloon City. Around 3,000 samples have yet to be tested.

She reiterated that the government is looking into the legal implications of making testing mandatory for residents, since many patients who were found infected were not tested when they initially consulted with private doctors.

Today’s cases took the city’s overall Covid-19 tally to 5,237, with 105 deaths. A total of 105 confirmed patients are still receiving treatment at public hospitals. 

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Concern raised about upsurge in HIV and AIDS cases among Filipinos in HK

By Vir B. Lumicao

 

13 Filipinos were found to have HIV, and 4 with AIDS, in the first half of 2020

Seven Filipino males and six females in Hong Kong had tested positive for HIV while four other Filipinas were found to have full-blown AIDS from January to June this year, a Department of Health spokesman said.

The upsurge in cases of HIV or human immunodeficiency virus, which could lead to AIDS or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, has raised concern from Domestic Workers Corner, a Facebook group that helps troubled Filipino helpers in Hong Kong.

Rain Tuando, a group administrator, said in an interview that she has received messages from more than 10 Filipina workers in this city seeking help regarding their HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.

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Most of those who contacted the DWC reportedly got infected by their boyfriends here, while one said she was infected by her husband when she went home for a vacation.

Tuando said she would again post a warning about the health menace on the group’s page and advice members who suspect they have been infected to go for a test.

Some HIV/AIDS concern groups or nongovernmental organizations in Hong Kong are offering free confidential testing as part of their advocacy.

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The 13 Filipino HIV cases for the half year nearly equaled the 14 recorded for full-year 2019 while the four female AIDS cases were four times more than the lone Filipino case last year, statistics from the Centre for Health Protection showed.

No Filipino male contracted full-blown AIDS for the first half of the year, but there was a big jump in those who were infected with HIV. From just one in the first quarter of the year, the number jumped to six in the second quarter.

Among Filipinas who were tested in the second quarter, HIV cases added four more to the two recorded in the first quarter, for a total of six in the first half of the year. Those with AIDS rose to four from just one in the first quarter.

DWC helps advise those infected on where they should go for consultation

The CHP figures showed that across Hong Kong, 141 new HIV infections were reported in the second quarter, taking the cumulative total of HIV cases reported locally to 10,550 since 1984.

This compares with 129 additional cases in the first quarter involving 105 males and 24 females. Of these cases, 57 acquired the infection via homosexual or bisexual sex and 34 via heterosexual sex. 

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A CHP spokesman said in a media briefing on the second-quarter HIV/AIDS situation in late August that safe sex is the best way to avoid infections.

“Sexual transmission remained the major mode of HIV transmission. Members of the public should use condoms consistently and properly so as to reduce the risk of acquiring HIV,” he said.

Of the 124 male and 17 female second-quarter HIV cases, 79 were infected via homosexual or bisexual sex, 24 via heterosexual sex, and one via drug injection.

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The routes of transmission of the remaining 37 cases have yet to be determined due to incomplete information upon notification, the spokesman said.

The new cases were mainly reported by public hospitals, clinics and laboratories, 71 cases; AIDS service organizations, 22 cases; and the health department’s Social Hygiene Clinics, 20 cases.

Of the 91 HIV-infected people, 65% have already received HIV specialist services from the health department or the Hospital Authority.

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In addition, 36 new cases of AIDS were reported this quarter, of which 21 cases or 58% were attributed to homosexual or bisexual sex and 13 cases, or 36%, were related to heterosexual sex.

The routes of transmission of two cases have yet to be determined. Since 1985, a cumulative total of 2,176 confirmed AIDS cases have been reported in Hong Kong.

The most common AIDS-defining illness was Pneumocystis pneumonia, a kind of chest infection, the spokesman said.

“HIV is the cause of AIDS and, without treatment, about half of HIV-infected people will progress to AIDS within 10 years. On the contrary, early HIV treatment with antiretroviral drugs helps prevent AIDS and its complications,” the spokesman said.

He said HIV treatment improves the quality of life and prolongs the survival of infected.

 

Filipino HIV/AIDS new cases in Hong Kong, 1H20
HIV		AIDS
First quarter
Male	Female	Male	Female
1	2	0	1
Second quarter
Male	Female	Male	Female
6	4	0	3

Source: Centre for Health Protection

 

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Divas foil Lantau Ladies in first cricket league match in 9 months

By Vir B. Lumicao

 

Divas lords over their rivals in their first match after a 9-month break due to the pandemic

All-Filipina cricket team SCC Divas overtook Lantau Ladies, 92/2 in their Hong Kong Women’s Main League Division 2 game on Oct 4 to win their first T20 cricket encounter after a long lay-off due to the pandemic.

Divas captain Josie Arimas expressed relief and joy with the victory, as her team had only limited time to practice before the encounter.

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“Nag-start kami ng training only three Sundays ago with only two hours per session, not enough for training. We need more training talaga,” Arimas said.

(We started training only three Sundays ago with only two hours per session, not enough for training. We really need more training).

Playing under a new coach, Divas’ first batters Jennifer Alumbro and Jonna Eguid scored 63 runs in the second innings as they set the pace for the chase of the 91/7 first innings lead that the Lantau Ladies produced in 19.5 overs.

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Then Christine Joy Lovino and Romela Osabel combined for 29 runs in 10.4 overs to seal the victory for Divas, the first-ever Philippine women’s cricket team formed three years ago by Arimas.

The match was scheduled for two and a half hours but shortened to 75 minutes by the Divas, who returned to the pitch after a forced nine-month halt to the annual league as Hong Kong battled the coronavirus contagion.

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Arimas, who is also captain of the first women’s cricket National Team that lost to Indonesia in an international competition in Dasmariñas City last December, described the match at Po Kong Village Road Sports Centre in Diamond Hill as tense.

“Ang dami naming extras sa first game, medyo tense pero OK lang. Ganyan lang pag first match after nine months na na-stuck kami dahil na-stop ang league,” Arimas said.

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The Divas captain said the team has 29 players and two new trainees. She said the teams need more training following the long furlough.

The team in a huddle with their manager and new coach, Sher Lama 

The triumph was also a first by the all-domestic helper team under their new Nepalese coach, Sher Lama, a former player of the Hong Kong National Men’s Team.

Also at the pitch to share their jubilation were SCC Divas manager Animesh Kulkarni and assistant manager Chandra Prameswaran.

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Aside from the team that defeated the Lantau Ladies, the Filipinas have formed two teams, SCC Divas and SCC Pinay, in the Women’s Development League that opens this Sunday, Arimas said.

She said SCC Pinay will play against Craigengower Cricket Club at 9 am and SCC Divas will face Cavaliers at 2 pm.

The victory was Divas’ first in a five-team round robin in the main league Division 2 T20 tournament. The Filipinas will also play in the T10 tournament where they will face eight teams including the strongest.

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Employers, workers urged to agree on substitute day for Chung Yeung holiday

By The SUN 

Chung Yeung is traditionally marked with grave sweeping and family gatherings at cemeteries

The Labour Department has appealed to employers to start talking with their employees on having an alternative holiday for the Chung Yeung Festival which falls this year on Oct 25, a Sunday.

The advisory was issued today, Oct 16, as part of the effort to avoid overcrowding in public places to reduce the risk of Covid-19 transmission.

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Chung Yeung, a statutory holiday, is traditionally spent by locals sweeping and visiting their ancestors’ graves and laying out food offerings. Another popular custom is to hike to high places to welcome good fortune.

According to the Labour advisory, employers may help stagger the grave-sweeping activities by encouraging their employers to take their holiday on another day.

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“This will help maintain good labour-management relations and protect the health of employees as well as the community,” said the Labour Department’s statement.

Under the Employment Ordinance, if a holiday falls on the employee’s rest day, the employer should grant a holiday on the next day, meaning Oct 26, Monday, in this case.

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The same rule applies to foreign domestic workers, who are normally off on Sundays.

But the EO also allows employers to arrange an alternative holiday with the employee within 60 days before or after the statutory holiday.

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“Moreover, with the mutual consent of the employer and the employee, any day within 30 days before or after the statutory holiday or alternative holiday may be taken by the employee as a substituted holiday,” said the statement.      

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For any enquiries, please contact the LD through its 24-hour enquiry hotline, 2717 1771 (provided by 1823) or by email at enquiry@labour.gov.hk. Details of the EO are also available on the LD's homepage (www.labour.gov.hk). 

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