Govt says it may regulate private events if advice against big gatherings not heeded

By The SUN

Dr Chan aired the warning in a RTHK talk show

 

The government has warned that indoor events, including those in private homes, could be regulated if people do not heed the advice to avoid large gatherings to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

This was what Secretary for Food and Health Dr Sophia Chan said in an RTHK program this morning, as she repeated the constant appeal by officials for people in different households to stop gathering and having meals together.

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Chan acknowledged that banning private gatherings could be considered too draconian, and that people have widely divergent views on the issue, but said the government would not hesitate to consider imposing such a measure if needed.

Several outbreaks among family members, especially during the current wave of infections, have been traced to gatherings in private homes of up to 20 people from different households.

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The practice has become quite common since the government imposed strict social distancing measures, including stopping dine-in services at 6pm, and requiring restaurants to ensure that no more than people sit and eat together in their premises.

Many foreign domestic helpers have been complaining about the practice as well, saying they are made to serve too many people too frequently within a week since the restrictions were imposed.

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Ironically, according to them, their employers who invite large crowds to their homes for meals, have been telling them to stay at home during their days-off so they don’t gather and pick up the virus from people outside.

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While controversial, the harsh measure is not unheard of. Several countries plagued by massive Covid-19 outbreaks like Britain, have taken to banning several households from gathering together indoors.

The severest restrictions to date have been extended for a two more weeks, or until Jan 20. Chan and other officials have also said it is not likely the measures will be lifted before the Lunar New Year, which starts on Feb. 12.

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Asked if he traditional Chinese New Year fairs will be held this year, the health secretary said large-scale events should be avoided.

She also said that while the current anti-epidemic measures are working, authorities still need to monitor the situation to see if there is a post-Christmas rebound in infections.

After 6pm dine-in ban will likely remain in place at least until CNY

Tuesday saw a further decline in the number of cases, with 32 being recorded for the day, the lowest since the fourth wave of infections broke out two months ago.

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However, University of Hong Kong microbiologist Ho Pak-leung said in the same talk show that Lunar New Year events should be cancelled to avoid further outbreaks.

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Ho was particularly concerned about a new surge in cases, particularly in St Margaret Hospital’s day ward, where five infections were reported in the past two days. More than 80 people, including patients, have been tested.

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A fresh cluster also emerged from the construction site in the Tseung Kwan O - Lamtin tunnel, prompting authorities to close the area, and order testing for all workers there.

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DH who died of heart attack flown home today

By Vir B. Lumicao 

Salmorin, 52, was well-loved by many, including her employers

A 52-year-old domestic helper from Hamtic, Antique who died from an apparent heart attack, made her final voyage home today, Jan. 5.

Victoria Salmorin, who had worked in Hong Kong for around three decades, was found collapsed inside her bedroom in her employer’s flat in Cyberport, Pokfulam on Dec 21. She was declared dead on arrival at Queen Mary Hospital.

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A police spokeswoman confirmed the Filipina’s death, saying it was due to illness. Her 51-year-old male employer was the one who found Salmorin unconscious, and called the police.  There were no suspicious circumstances, the spokeswoman said.

Salmorin, the first OFW fatality to be repatriated this year, was among five Filipino workers who died in Hong Kong last month, all due to illness, said Consul Paulo Saret, head of the Consulate’s assistance to nationals section.

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Her remains were flown to Manila on a Philippine Airlines flight that departed at 11:30 this morning, Saret said. Her coffin will be put on a connecting flight to Iloilo City early tomorrow, then transported overland for two and a half hours to her hometown 95km away.

Fr Jay administers final rites for the veteran OFW

Salmorin suffered from high blood pressure, said Rodelia Pedro Villar, a friend and founder of Facebook group Domestic Workers Corner, of which the deceased was a member.

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Villar said earlier that day, Salmorin’s employers saw her return from the supermarket. She then went to her bedroom to pack some stuff in a door-to-door box she was planning to send to her loved ones in the Philippines.

Salmorin, who was married but had no children, was known to be generous, especially to her siblings, said Villar.

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“Around 4:30 in the afternoon, the employers checked her room and saw her lying on the bed, her head leaning on the wall, eyes shut and snoring loudly. They thought she was just asleep so they didn’t wake her up,” Villar said.

At around 9pm, the employer wondered why the Filipina did not come out for dinner and checked her room again. She was found lifeless this time. The employers called the police and an ambulance came to pick her up. The ambulance staff tried to revive Salmorin, but in vain.

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Villar said Salmorin had worked for six years for her last employer. She was an active member of OFW Emotion with DJ Gell and Antiqueños Around the World, especially at their yearend gatherings.  

In fact, she was wrapping gifts for her group’s Christmas Party, being the primary sponsor, said Villar.

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“Nandun pa sa room niya ang maraming mga regalo na nakabalot at nakahanda para sa Christmas party nila ng grupo at siya ang primary sponsor. (There were many wrapped gifts in her room that she prepared for her group’s Christmas party, as she was the primary sponsor),” she said.

It was the male employer who did everything so that Salmorin’s relatives and friends would not worry about repatriating her, Villar said.

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“The employer is very supportive. He reported the death to ATN and OWWA (Overseas Workers Welfare Administration),” she said. 

At a necrological service for Salmorin held at Universal Funeral Homes in Hung Hom presided by Fr Jay Flandez, chaplain for Filipinos in Hong Kong, the employer and one of his children attended, said Villar.

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The employer was reportedly very emotional when he shared his good memories of Salmorin during the service.

“They (the employers) are very sad about what happened. They personally packed all her stuff to send to her family,” Villar said. 

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Newly arrived Filipina DH found with British variant of coronavirus

By Daisy CL Mandap 

The Filipina with the variant tested positive while in quarantine here

A 30-year-old Filipino domestic worker who was confirmed with Covid-19 yesterday is among four new patients found to have the highly infections variant of coronavirus first found in Britain, Hong Kong health officials reported today, Jan 5.

According to information staff at the Centre for Health Protection, the Filipina arrived in Hong Kong on Dec 22 aboard Philippine Airlines flight PR 300. She developed symptoms while in quarantine at Ramada HK Harbour View Hotel in Sai Ying Pun.

She left Manila three days before the Philippine government imposed a ban on all non-Filipinos flying in from Hong Kong and 19 countries where the British variant was found.

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The three other new cases with the variant includes a 40-year-old woman who flew in from France on Jan 2 aboard KL847, and tested positive at the airport.

The two others both returned from the Britain, where 13 other cases detected earlier had flown from.

Earlier today, Chief Executive Carrie Lam defended Hong Kong’s travel ban on Britain last night, calling it necessary though difficult, as it covered even local residents. She made the statement three days after a group of Hong Kong residents stranded in Britain urged for an easing of the restriction so they could return home.

Banning UK flights was difficult because residents are involved, says CE Lam

Meanwhile, CHP’s Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan announced that there were 32 new Covid-19 cases recorded as of midnight last night, all but one locally acquired. The sole imported case involved a man who returned from Switzerland on Jan 3.

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Among the local cases were nine whose sources were unknown. Included among the 22 linked to previous infections were two medical workers and two patients at Princess Margaret Hospital, who were listed as preliminary positive yesterday.

The new cases also include a nurse who works at a private clinic with branches in Mong Kok and Ho Man Tin. The patient had no close contacts as she usually dined alone while at work. However, all patients who visited the two clinics, as well as two doctors and other employees have to undergo coronavirus testing.

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A trainee at Cheung Hong Community Day Rehabilitation and Residential Service also tested positive.

The total number of Covid-19 cases in Hong Kong has reached 9,050. As of 9am today, 707 confirmed patients were being treated in 23 public hospitals and the community facility at AsiaWorld-Expo. Of these, 48 are in critical condition, 44 are in serious condition, while the remaining 615 are in stable condition.

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Two male patients died at Tuen Mun Hospital in the past 24 hours, raising the death toll to 149. An 81-year-old and a 79-year-old, both with chronic disease, passed away last night, at 7:47pm and 9:15pm, respectively.

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Govt extends gathering restrictions until Jan 20

By The SUN 

The health secretary says the restrictions will likely remain in place until Chinese New Year

Health Secretary Dr Sophia Chan announced today, Jan 4, that the social distancing measures due to expire on Thursday have been extended for another two weeks, or until Jan 20.

She also said that the chance of relaxing the measures before Chinese New Year, which this year falls on Feb 12 to 15, “is very low.”

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Chan said that while the number of daily infections is decreasing, the rate is “extremely slow”, and the risk of a rebound remains high.

The announcement came as Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan from the Centre for Health Protection reported 53 new Covid-19 cases were recorded as of midnight last night, raising the city’s total tally past the 9,000 mark.

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Among the new infections, 43 were locally acquired, and six of these were of unknown sources.

The 10 imported cases were mostly new arrivals from Nepal. Five tested positive while in quarantine, while two were recent arrivals from Kathmandu.

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There were also two Filipinas, a 29-year-old who tested positive at the airport, and a 30-year-old who was found infected while in quarantine. The last imported case was a 40-year-old woman from France.

A total of 728 confirmed patients remain in 23 public hospitals and the community facility at AsiaWorld-Expo. Among them, 50 are in critical condition, 45 are in serious condition, and the rest are stable.

Five cases have been linked to the day ward of Princess Margaret Hospital

Chuang also reported an outbreak at the day care ward of Princess Margaret Hospital, after a 66-year-old female cancer patient tested positive for the virus after being admitted there on Dec 28.

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Two more patients and two medical staff at the hospital have since tested preliminary positive, so health authorities have ordered that tests be conducted on everyone who had visited the ward in the past week.

These include about 40 patients and 20 staff who had worked there.

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Microbiologist Yuen Kwok-yung who visited the hospital this afternoon told reporters that the cause of the infection there was the virus that spread through the air after the index patient with bone marrow cancer took off her mask for a meal.

Some 80 people linked to the ward had been tested, and Yuen said more could come down with Covid-19.

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Also among those confirmed today were 11 workers at the construction site for the Tseung Kwan O-Lam Tin Tunnel, raising the total number of infections in the fresh outbreak at the site to 12.

Chuang said she had ordered that all works at the site be suspended, while tests are conducted on everyone who had worked there.

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Officials faced a barrage of questions over the decision to retain the in-person briefing, despite announcing yesterday that the daily session would be moved online, and reporters could only ask questions in writing.

Journalists opposed the move, accusing the government of avoiding difficult questions.

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Chan insisted the original plan was meant to avoid spreading the virus, but “technical difficulties” prevented them from shifting online.

 

 

 

No Filipinos among 51 fined $5k over NY for violating anti-virus rules

By The SUN 

Police and other law enforcers were out in force again over the New Year holidays

A total of 51 fixed penalty tickets costing $5,000 each were issued to violators of group gatherings and mask-wearing regulations at the extended New Year weekend, the Labour Department said. But no Filipino was apparently among those penalized.

Consul General Raly Tejada said today, Jan 4, that no one from the Filipino community had informed the Consulate about being slapped with the hefty fine over the weekend.

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“Wala naman (none so far)...I hope it’s a good sign. Mukhang tuluy-tuloy na ang paghihigpit ng law enforcement agencies ng Hong Kong,” the head of post replied when asked whether he had received a report about an OFW being fined. (It looks like the Hong Kong law enforcement agencies are now going to be tougher.)

On Dec. 27, a Filipina who was issued the penalty ticket after being caught without a mask on in Statue Square in Central, had gone to the Consulate to lament her misfortune.

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A relative who was with her at the time said the offender had just briefly taken off her mask to munch on “chichirya” when she was spotted from afar by patrolling police officers.

Another Filipina was caught on video while being issued with the $5,000 ticket in Tamar Park in Admiralty. A fellow Filipina who filmed the incident said the offender had taken  off her mask to put on face powder.

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They were among 43 people ordered to pay the fine during the long Christmas holidays.

During a similar operation between Dec 31 to Jan 3, the government said in a press statement that 51 people were issued the penalty tickets, but the police could not say whether there were Filipinos among them.

Enforcers remind Indonesian DHs in a Kowloon Park to follow social distancing rules

A Filipina who was among those who camped out in Central on Sunday, said the hefty fine, which costs more than the $4,630 minimum salary of a FDH, appeared to have had the desired effect.

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“Natakot na po, kasi mahal po ang penalty…kaya dapat sumunod talaga sa protocol ng Hong Kong government. Yesterday sa Central, maraming nag-iikot na pulis,” said Rez Espenilla. (People must have been scared because the penalty is so steep. We really need to follow the protocols imposed by the Hong Kong government. Yesterday, there were a lot of police patrols in Central).

“Disiplina talaga ang kailangan ng bawat isa at makipagtulungan para hindi na marami pang mahawa [sa coronavirus],” she said. (Everyone really needs to practice discipline and to cooperate, so the number of people who get infected will lessen)

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The Labour Department said the joint operations were carried out in collaboration with the Hong Kong Police Force, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, the Home Affairs Department and the Leisure and Cultural Department.

The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, the police and the FEHD also conducted publicity in Tai Lam Country Park in Tai Tong, Yuen Long, where thousands of people had gone to see the red leaves of the sweet gum trees there.

Heavy police presence in Tai Tam Country Park, which attracts huge crowds during winter

The operations covered FDH gathering places such as Tamar Park in Admiralty, Victoria Park in Causeway Bay, the Fa Yuen St footbridge in Mong Kok, the Cultural Centre in Tsimshatsui and various places in Central, Wan Chai, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon City, Wong Tai Sin, Tsing Yi and Tseung Kwan O.

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A Labour press release on Sunday said the operations included mobile broadcasts in Chinese, English, Tagalog, Bahasa Indonesia and Thai in popular FDH gathering places urging them to obey a ban on group gatherings of over two persons, and to wear masks in public places.

Publicity vans broadcast the reminders to FDHs while officers from the departments concerned distributed multiple-language promotional leaflets appealing to FDHs to maintain environmental hygiene and refrain from unlicensed hawking.

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The New Year holiday joint operations ended on Jan 3 with the vast majority of FDH and the public observing the relevant regulations after being advised, the press release said.

“For example, during the joint operations [Sunday], the FDHs at the footbridge near Fa Yuen St in Mongkok left on their own volition after advice was given. As for those who still refused to abide by the regulations after repeated reminders, the relevant departments had taken enforcement actions,” the department said.

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“For the four-day period up to the expiry of the first cut-off stage today, a total of 51 fixed penalty notices at $5,000 were issued during the aforementioned joint operations.” 

The government will step up publicity and enforcement and, as needed, hold joint operations to ensure compliance with the requirements, the press release said. It urged everyone to exercise self-discipline, co-operate to fight the virus and abide by the law.

The police also increased manpower to step up patrols at those places and the FEHD took follow-up actions to keep those places clean, the government said. 

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