HK warns of rapid spread of coronavirus as 86 new cases reported today

By The SUN 

Dr Chan warns that the current wave is faster, more infectious

Health Secretary Dr Sophia Chan has warned that the current fourth wave of coronavirus infections is spreading faster than the first three rounds.

“In terms of the number of infection clusters, or confirmed cases, or the speed of transmission, this wave is rising more rapidly than the first few,” Dr Chan said during a press briefing of senior government officials today, Dec 11.

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Meanwhile, the government announced in a late bulletin that the work-from-home arrangements for civil servants will be extended to Dec 23, saying the epidemic situation remains severe.

Dr Chan said during a press briefing of senior government officials that the seven-day average for the number of Covid-19 cases had now hit 92.3, and warned that most of these cases were highly infections.

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She said about 90 percent of the new cases were found to carry a CT value of lower than 30, indicating a high viral load.

Today’s 86 new cases were the lowest in the past three days, when the daily tally were all in the three digits.

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But the past few days also saw a surge in the number of patients who were either critically or seriously ill.

Of the 1,148 patients currently confined in 22 public hospitals and the treatment facility at AsiaWorld-Expo, 44 are said to be critically ill, 65 are in serious condition, while the remaining 1,039 are stable.

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Four deaths have been recorded since the current wave started last month, mostly involving elderly patients, but with one man who was just in his thirties.

Chan said all possible loopholes should be plugged to prevent a further worsening of the outbreak, including imposing more stringent measures on new arrivals from abroad.

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Meanwhile, at today’s press briefing on the latest coronavirus situation, Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan from the Centre for Health Protection revealed that environmental samples taken from four units at a Kowloon housing block showed a heavy viral load.

Dr Chuang said the virus was found in eight of the 22 samples taken from the floor drain outlets and exhaust fans in Block 6 of Richland Gardens in Kowloon Bay where eight residents had tested positive for Covid-19.

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“They all returned positive, and it shows that there is environmental contamination,” she said.

Five cases were detected in three units at Kwong Chi House in Taipo

She also expressed concern about three other housing blocks in Kowloon and the New Territories where a number of infections had been recorded.

They are Lung San House in Wong Tai Sin where three cases in three units were found,; Tat Yi House in Kwun Tong where seven infections from three units were recorded; and Kwong Chi House in Taipo where there were five cases from three units.

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She said testing bottles will be given to residents of the affected blocks, and called on them to take the test while officials are checking whether environmental contamination had occurred.

Of today’s cases, 81 were locally acquired, and five were imported from overseas. Thirty-seven of the local cases were of unknown sources.

More than 50 preliminary cases were recorded, including two staff from the Department of Health which reported the incidents only tonight. One is a non-medical staff who does research on Chinese medicines, while the other works as a dental surgery assistant in the Jockey Club dental clinic on Argyle Street in Mong Kok.

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Filipina jailed for stealing $163k by forging employer’s signature on checks

By Vir B. Lumicao 

Jara was ordered jailed by a Kwun Tong magistrate

A Filipina domestic helper was jailed for nine months Friday, Dec 11, for stealing nearly $163,000 from her employer’s bank account over seven months more than three years ago, by faking the victim’s signature on 53 checks, and for overstaying her visa.

The defendant, Joralyn G. Jara, 37, single, was sentenced by Kwun Tong Magistrate Minnie Wat, after she pleaded guilty to a charge of theft and another for overstaying in Hong Kong for more than a year.

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The prosecution said the theft happened between Dec 14, 2016 and July 6, 2017 while Jara was a domestic helper of the victim, Leung Shu-yan, and her family at Fu Ning Garden in Tseung Kwan O. The family hired her in 2010.

Leung had a Hang Seng Bank integrated account from which she paid the helper $2,000 by check every two months for her traveling expenses. Jara’s monthly salary of $4,320 was paid in cash by Leung’s husband and younger brother.

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Leung kept her checkbooks in an unlocked drawer in the living room, and would sometimes ask Jara to take them out  for her to issue checks for her daughter’s Spanish tuition, utility bills, and the helper’s travel expenses.

On or about July 18, 2017, Leung saw 16 suspicious withdrawals by check in her June bank statement at frequent intervals, and suspected Jara was stealing from her.

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In her bank statements for December 2016 to July 2017, Leung saw $162,950 was withdrawn from her account in 53 check transactions.

Jara was arrested at HK airport in August 2017

The case was reported and Jara was arrested on Aug 8, 2017 at Hong Kong International Airport as she returned from the Philippines. She did not give any statement.

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But the next day, she said in a statement her salary was paid in cash by Leung’s husband and that Leung would give her 3-5 checks of around $2,000 each every month for the household’s daily expenses.

She admitted she knew where the checkbooks were kept and would use checks to take cash or deposit them in her own bank account.

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Photocopies of the 53 checks were obtained from Hang Seng Bank, and when asked about them, Jara could only point out to one check cashed on Dec 14, 2016 which she said was issued by Leung to pay for her daughter’s Spanish lesson.

A government chemist was asked to compare Jara’s signature samples with 78 signatures on the back of the 53 checks and the expert concluded they were similar with 74 of them.

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Jara was charged on Sept 10 this year with theft and freed on bail, but was told to appear again in Kwun Tong Court on Sept 18.

But on Sept 17, the Immigration Department informed police that Jara had applied for an extension of her visitor’s visa extension but was found to have overstayed since May 4, 2019. She surrendered to the Tseung Kwan O police and was arrested for breach of condition of stay.

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During a police interview, she admitted to having failed to apply for a visa extension since because she had no money and had lost her passport in July 2018.

In mitigation, the defense lawyer said Jara was forced to steal because she had helped friends take out bank loans by acting as a guarantor and ended up paying back those loans. She said the loans, totaling $40,000, were used to pay employment agency fees.

Magistrate Wat told Jara she committed a serious breach of trust by stealing a big amount causing a huge loss to her employer over a period of seven months. She said the defendant also overstayed for more than a year, an entirely different offense.

For the theft, Wat sentenced Jara to 8 months in jail. She meted another month in jail for her overstay, with the sentences to be served consecutively. 

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All new arrivals to quarantine only at designated hotels from Dec 22

By The SUN 

Dorsett Hotel in Wanchai is among the 36 designated quarantine hotels

The Hong Kong government has unveiled new restrictions for new arrivals from abroad, including requiring the travelers to spend their mandatory 14-day quarantine only at designated hotels.

The new rule which takes effect from Dec 22, will also require the designated hotels to provide three meals each day for those in quarantine, essentially eliminating the current practice of allowing the guests to get food from outside.

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Those arriving in the city will also be required to take a third Covid-19 test on the 19^th day after their arrival, or after completing their mandatory quarantine.

From Dec 15, all new arrivals who test negative for the virus at the airport will only be allowed to move to their quarantine hotels using dedicated coaches, unlike now, when they are allowed to use public transportation or be picked up by private vehicles.

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They will also have to submit themselves to a nasal and throat swab tests at the airport, while collecting deep throat saliva samples by themselves in a separate test.

The measures were announced at a press briefing today, Dec 11, by Secretary for the Civil Service Patrick Nip, who said they are essential to curb imported cases and stem a worsening fourth wave of infections.

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Nip unveiled a list of 36 hotels that will cater exclusively to those who will be undergoing quarantine, whose prices range from $300 per day, inclusive of three meals, to those in the thousands of dollars.

He said that at least 100 hotels had applied to be included in the list, but with about 12,000 rooms already on offer by the first batch of 36 hotels, the room requirements of all arriving passengers would already be met.

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Nip said that to prevent cross-infections, the  hotels on the list could only take quarantine guests, while those not on the list would not be allowed to accept bookings for quarantine.

Staff at the quarantine hotels would also be tested every 14 days.

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The government’s list of quarantine hotels include some of those that cater to well-heeled patrons, including Shangri-La, Marriott’s Le Meridien, and the Mandarin Oriental at the Landmark, whose most lavish suite charges $51,150 per night.

But they also include a number preferred by budget travelers, like foreign domestic workers, including the Ramada, Dorsett and Best Western group of hotels. Another favorite, the Silka hotels in Tsuen Wan and Yau Ma Tei, were recently contracted by the government to serve as quarantine centers.

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All those arriving from Dec 21 (which could mean the traveler being released for quarantine only the next day after tests at the airport), are advised to choose from among the designated hotels.

The new measures should come as a relief to most FDWs who complain of not getting enough food while in quarantine, as most budget hotels chosen by employment agencies provide only a full meal for dinner.

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The problem became so pervasive that several groups and individuals in the Filipino community had taken to providing food and water for FDWs appealing for provisions.

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Coronavirus vaccines to be available in HK from next month

By The SUN 

Sinovac vaccine from the mainland will be the first to be introduced from next month 

Chief Executive Carrie Lam has announced that her government has reached “breakthrough” agreements with two Covid-19 vaccine manufacturers to secure 15 million shots for residents, or two for each of the city’s 7.5 million residents.

The first million doses from mainland company, Sinovac, will arrive by January, while another million doses is expected to be provided by the first quarter of 2021 year by Pfizer/BioNTech, a joint enterprise between US and German drug companies.

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CE Lam made the announcement this afternoon, Dec 11, during a press briefing attended by her top Cabinet officials.

“We hope to vaccinate the majority of Hong Kong citizens in 2021, so our daily lives and border exchanges can return to normal,” she said.

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Lam said 7.5 million doses will come from Sinovac, and the other 7.5 million from Pfizer/BioNTech.

She said the government is finalising a separate agreement with AstraZeneca, which is developing its own vaccine with Oxford University, for an extra 7.5 million jabs.

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Lam said the goal is to acquire enough doses to give each resident vaccines from two different manufacturers.

With double doses needed for each person, the government will have to buy more vaccines from a fourth manufacturer, but the chief executive did not name which company this would be.

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But she said the government was prepared to buy as many as 30 million shots if two jabs were needed for each vaccine to be effective.

The CE says the vaccine will be voluntary for all residents (RTHK photo)

As promised, the vaccines will be free to all residents, but getting the shots would be voluntary.

“I cannot run a mandatory vaccination programme. I couldn’t even run it for the flu ... [for which] the vaccines are well-recognised, so how can I run a compulsory vaccination programme for an emergency vaccine?” Lam asked.

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She said those in the vulnerable groups, such as the elderly and chronically ill patients, and those deemed at high risk of catching the virus, such as medical staff, workers at care facilities, will be the first to be vaccinated.

Lam explained the government’s two-pronged strategy of buying from at least two different manufacturers that developed different technologies, saying this was necessary  to provide diversity and better protection for residents.

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Apart from direct purchase from manufacturers, Hong Kong has also joined the Covax procurement mechanism led by the World Heal Organization, which assures equitable distribution of vaccine among member states.

Last Friday, the mainland announced that it would have 600 million doses of coronavirus vaccines ready within the year, while Macau said it would have its first batch of vaccines by the end of the year.

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The chief executive was accompanied at the press conference by Health Secretary Dr Sophia Chan, Labour Secretary Law Chi-kwong, Secretary for the Civil Service Patrick Nip, Secretary for Home Affairs Caspar Tsui, Director of Health Dr. Constance Chan, and the Chief Executive Officer of the Hospital Authority, Tony Ko.

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DH wrongly accused of theft gets police help to claim $20k from employer

By Vir B. Lumicao 

Constantino says she called the police after her employers
told her to sign a termination notice admitting theft

A Filipina helper who was fired by her employers on Dec 7 and refused any payment because she allegedly stole a watch and an iPad, called the police for help. After five hours of heated argument with her employer in front of the police, Mylene Constantino, 40, managed to clear her name and walked away with more than $20,000 in settlement.

Constantino said the police helped in preventing her employers from insisting she signed a termination notice that accused her of stealing. The notice would have also meant she would not get any money from the couple for whom she had worked for more than five years.

Despite her victory, Constantino took a blow when a would-be employer who signed her up Sunday, Dec 6, backed out after hearing of her dispute with the couple.

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Now she is back to looking for a new employer while planning to write to the Immigration Department to explain what had happened, and neutralize whatever adverse statement her former boss might make about why their contract was terminated.

Before the conflict began, Constantino said there was no problem in her relationship with the employers, who hired her in 2015 for her first job in Hong Kong.

The helper, a separated wife with two daughters aged 14 and 12, said she served her employers loyally for five years and nine months.

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They used to live in Taiwai, but on Nov 20, the couple told her they were moving to a new place in Taipo to be near their child’s school.

On Nov 26, the family moved to Alva Hotel in Shek Mun, Shatin, leaving the helper in the old flat to pack their belongings in boxes. They said they would ship these to Britain.

It was then that the employers reportedly told Constantino that they would relocate to the United Kingdom on Jan 13, and would release her three days earlier. They allegedly told her to start looking for a new employer.

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On the evening of Dec 3, after Constantino had joined the family at the hotel, her male employer reportedly asked her if she had seen his Apple watch. She answered no. He didn’t ask her about the watch again after that.

On Monday morning, the couple asked her about their missing iPad, then allegedly accused her of taking it because they claimed to have found the Apple watch in her luggage.

The couple reportedly said they were firing her on the spot but wouldn’t pay her anything because of the missing iPad. They also reportedly asked her to sign a statement admitting that she had taken the watch and the iPad.

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Angered by the accusation, Constantino told her employers, “If you have any proof that you found the watch in my luggage, show me. My conscience is clear, I didn’t steal anything. If you have any proof, call the police because if you don’t, I’ll call them myself.”

She then proceeded to dial 999. Before the police arrived, the couple allegedly tore up the statement they were forcing her to sign, then tried to prevent her from talking to the officers.

Constantino said she didn’t let them to stop her.  “I told the police I wanted them to get my side,” she said.

The alleged encounter with the employers happened in Alva Hotel in Shatin

The officers searched her belongings but found nothing, so they talked to the employers.

The couple said they wouldn’t let the helper go unless she signed a termination notice. But Constantino could not be cowed, as she felt that would be tantamount to admitting the alleged theft.

She in turn told the police she wouldn’t leave until the employers paid her a month’s wages in lieu of notice for firing her on the spot. She also claimed long service pay, plane ticket and food and travel allowance.

“The situation in the hotel room was so heated up with my employers shouting at me, so the officers asked me to take my belongings and stay outside the door,” the helper said.

After hours had passed, the officers reportedly told the employers to pay the helper’s rightful claim to end the row because, if they didn’t, she would just file a labour case against them.

Constantino said that prompted the employers to pay up. As a last attempt to get back at her, the couple booked her a flight home on Dec 9 at 2:30am, but the Filipina simply skipped going to the airport.

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