2 Pinays & 6 Indon DHs, all newly arrived, among 53 new Covid-19 patients

By Vir B. Lumicao 

7 of the FDWs tested positive at the airport, the last 19 days after arrival

Eight newly arrived foreign domestic workers, two from the Philippines and six from Indonesia, were among 53 new coronavirus cases reported today, Jan. 31.

The two Filipinas, aged 31 and 40, as well as five of the Indonesians, aged between 31 and 43, all arrived in Hong Kong on Jan. 29. But the sixth Indonesian, aged 33, arrived on Jan 10 and tested positive on her 19^th day of quarantine at iclub Hotel in Ma Tau Wai.

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A ninth imported case was a 32-year-old female returnee from Indonesia.

The latest cases brought the city’s total coronavirus tally to 10,453.

Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan from the Centre for Health Protection said that of the 44 local cases, 27 were linked to previous cases while the remaining 17 were untraceable.

Four of the local cases were construction workers were related to the airport’s third runway project, Chuang said.

This brought to about 15 confirmed cases from this cluster. Yesterday, health officials ordered all 3,000 or so workers at the site to undergo testing.

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Mandatory testing was also ordered today for residents of nine residential towers.

These include Kui Fat Bldg Tower One in Yuen Long and Heng Lok House at Heng Chui public estate in Tin Shui Wai. These two buildings had at least two unlinked cases each, accounting for eight patients today.

Residents of Gillies Mansion in Hung Hom are among those required to undergo testing

The seven other buildings are located in designated areas in Yaumatei, Jordan, Shamshuipo and Hung Hom, meaning there was at least one infected unit in each of the blocks. They include 95 Reclamation St, Richview Mansion on Ferry St, 165-167 Temple St, Man Wai Bldg on Man Wai St, 258 Apliu St, Gillies Mansion on Cooke St and Po Yuen Mansion on Bulkeley St.

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Three Covid-19 deaths were reported during the past 24 hours. They include a man aged 83 passed who passed away at Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital in Taipo, another  man aged 95 at United Christian Hospital in Kwuntong, and a woman aged 46 at Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Dr Lau Ka-hin, chief manager at the Hospital Authority said the latest casualties brought to 176 the number of patients who succumbed to Covid-19 in public hospitals.

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There are 765 confirmed patients still being treated in 22 public hospitals and at the treatment facility at AsiaWorld-Expo, Lau said. Among them, 28 patients are in critical condition, 38 are in serious condition, and the remaining 699 patients are in stable condition.

Meanwhile, Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung said the government could run more mandatory testing schemes at varying scales in different districts.

He urged government departments to be flexible with manpower arrangements so civil servants could be mobilized quickly to help with the testing drives as Hong Kong aims for zero infections.

“Reaching zero infections is the government’s target. Based on the situation in Hong Kong, we will take accurate, decisive and strict prevention measures,” Cheung said in his Sunday blog.

In her own blog, Secretary for Food and Health, Prof Sophia Chan, said mandatory testing orders and lockdowns had been effective in finding hidden infections in the community.

Chan said lessons learned from the first three lockdowns would help authorities identify cases in a shorter period.

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2 Filipinos stable after Central stabbing

By Vir B. Lumicao 

Rescuers attend to one of the victims who fell by the roadside in Edinburgh Place

Two Filipino men who were wounded in a stabbing attack at Edinburgh Place in Central on Saturday evening, Jan 30, are in stable condition in hospital tonight, a government spokeswoman said.

Police, meanwhile, are still looking for the lone assailant as they try to establish the motive of the attack.

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A video that went viral on Facebook showed Filipina domestic helpers trying to help one of the victims while police asked kibitzers about what happened.

Some of the bystanders who must have witnessed the attack

A police spokesman said a Filipino woman called the police at 6:30pm to ask for help after her 36-year-old husband was stabbed and badly wounded in the abdomen.

Police check one of the stabbing victims

The other victim was a 33-year-old friend of the first victim, the spokesman said. He said the attack has been classified as assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

As of 9:45pm today, the two victims were reportedly in stable condition in Queen Mary Hospital in Pokfulam.

The assailant, whose nationality was not known, escaped after the stabbing, the police said. They are still trying to find out what type of weapon was used in the attack.

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However, a Filipino who posted a video of the wounded 36-year-old victim being helped by frantic bystanders as he lay on the pavement described the weapon as an icepick.

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The spokesman said the older victim suffered injuries in his abdomen while his friend had stab wounds in the chest and abdomen. The victims were conscious when rushed o hospital, the officer said.

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2 FDWs found infected after compulsory tests in Yau Ma Tei building

By The SUN 

Shun On building in Yau Ma Tei where the 2 FDWs live with their employers

Two foreign domestic workers, one from the Philippines and another from Indonesia, were found positive of Covid-19 after undergoing compulsory testing in a Yau Ma Tei building where they live with their employers.

They were among 28 new coronavirus cases reported today, Jan 30.

The 47-year-old Filipina helper tested positive along with her 81-year-old female employer in their house in Shun On Building in Yau Ma Tei.

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The 28-year-old Indonesian helper also lives in the same building.

All but two of the new infections were locally acquired. Of the two imported cases, one was a 47-year-old male cargo pilot who flew in from the United States. The other is a 31-year-old returnee who came from Pakistan via Dubai.

The local cases include 20 linked to previous infections, and six with unknown sources. More than 40 preliminary positive cases were also recorded.

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The linked cases included five new ones at two construction sites at the airport’s third runway project, bringing to nine the total number of cases from that cluster.

Au says it's too early to say if the new wave of infections has peaked 

Dr Albert Au from the Centre for Health Protection said construction work at the two sites will be suspended to allow for thorough cleansing.

Around 3,000 workers there will be subjected to mandatory testing, while 60 others along with 20 of their family members will be moved to a quarantine center as a precaution.

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Au said the virus might have spread in the changing rooms shared by the workers, although there is only a low risk of cross infection among them. The site is huge and is divided into different zones, in which contractors work in different areas.

Among the new local cases, eight were from Yau Tsim Mong District, five of which were from specified areas in Yau Ma Tei. There were six new cases in Kowloon City District, but none from Hung Hom. No new case was detected from Sham Shui Po.

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Among the untraceable cases is a nurse who works as a receptionist at an eye clinic in Champion Building in Jordan. People who have visited the clinic of Dr Lam Hok-suen between Jan 26 and 28 to get tested. The clinic will be closed for 14 days for disinfection.

Although the day’s total tally is low compared to previous days, Au said it is too early to day that the fourth wave of infections has peaked, as “the number of cases will fluctuate from day to day.”

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With the approach of the Lunar New Year, he said there is still a risk of large-scale transmission if people attend gatherings.

He pointed out that in the past week, 40% of the new cases were of unknown sources, indicating there is still a lot of silent transmissions in the community.

Hong Kong’s total Covid-19 tally now stands at 10,400. Of the confirmed patients, 801 are being treated in 22 public hospitals and the treatment facility at AsiaWorld-Expo. Among them, 28 are in critical condition, 38 are in serious condition and the remaining 735 patients are in stable condition.

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Filipina acquitted of theft gets back at accuser with labour claim

 By Vir B. Lumicao 

Liberty worked for the socialite employer for just 2 weeks 

Liberty is her name, and that was what she won after four long months spent behind bars for a crime she did not commit.

Filipina domestic helper Liverty Narcelles, who was acquitted on Jan 28 of a charge of stealing a $100,000 ring from her socialite employer in Stanley, says she is set to pursue a labor claim for all the money owed her, while slowly getting her life back to normal.

Narcelles, now on a six-day visitor visa, said she will file a claim against her employer, Chua Eh Fong for $6,000 as one month’s salary in lieu of notice, unpaid wages for eight days, plus a return air ticket.

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Cynthia Abdon-Tellez, general manager of Mission for Migrant Workers, said her organization will help Narcelles pursue her claims at the Labour Department.

On the second day of her release from prison following her acquittal at Eastern Court, the 35-year-old Ilocana worker went to the Mission’s office at St John’s Cathedral on Garden Road to discuss her next move.

A day earlier, she spent half the day collecting her belongings at Chua’s house at Regalia Bay, Stanley, with the help of police escorts, who drove her afterwards to the Immigration Department headquarters in Wanchai to apply for a visa.

 

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After about three hours at the Immigration, Narcelles was issued a six-day visitor’s visa. Then she was fetched in a car by her former employer and friend, Portia Cheung, and taken to the latter’s house in Saikung where she would stay for the time being.

“Wala pa po akong tulog, naninibago pa ako,” (I haven’t slept, I am still getting used to life outside), the worker said as she savored freedom after four-and-a-half months detained in Tai Lam, and then Lo Wu,  while her case was pending in court.

The prosecution had objected to granting her bail while she was in custody despite Cheung offering to bail her out since the worker’s first hearing in Eastern Court.

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Cheung also visited her regularly in prison, and even bought her a change of clothes for her court appearance. Three of her closest friends also saw her during her darkest days.

But that is all behind her now.

“Sobrang happy and blessed. God is always good to me,” Narcelles said when asked how she felt after her court victory against her wealthy accuser. 

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The feeling contrasted sharply with the despair she felt when Chua claimed she found her tourmaline-adorned ring in the helper’s luggage at mid-day on Sept 9.

Chua gave police spliced CCTV videos of the alleged theft 

 “Shocked po ako syempre at bakit may ring sa gamit ko,” Narcelles said. (I was shocked of course, because why was there a ring among my things?)

 What was clear from the video submitted to the police and played in court on the last day of her trial on Dec 31 was it was Chua who bended down to point out the ring among a handful of trinkets Narcelles held on her open palm.

 

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The helper said she was already in the process of returning all her things in her bags after Chua’s inspection, when the ring suddenly appeared.

 Asked how the ring ended up in her box of trinkets, Narcelles said, “I honestly do not know.”

Regalia Bay in Stanley, where the employer's family lives

Narcelles cried so much when the CCTV was played in court that Magistrate David Cheung to call a 10-minute recess so she could calm down. She cried again unabashedly on Thursday after the verdict, but this time it was tears of joy over her vindication.

 She said the first thing she did after getting hold of a phone yesterday was to call her 61-year-old mother and 65-year-old father to tell them about the good news. “Kahapon ko pa sila natawagan at sobrang happy po sila,” she said. (I called them yesterday and they were overjoyed).

This Sunday, she will go to church with her surrogate mom in Hong Kong, Remie Nidoy, one of the people who had always believed in her innocence. Narcelles is also thankful to

her cousin Izy Valdez and “kumare” Beverly for their help during her ordeal, and to Cheung who went all out to support her.

Narcelles said she hopes to sign up with a new employer after her labor claims are settled so she could continue to work in Hong Kong.

But she said it won’t be a bad idea either to return home and be back with her loved ones if she finds a decent-paying job there. Her husband is gainfully employed, and before coming to Hong Kong, she worked as an agent for the transfer of land titles.

While she is now ready to move on with her life, Narcelles couldn’t resist sending out a message to people who followed her ordeal.

“Sa lahat po ng taong nag-judge na guilty ako na hindi pa alam yung story, God bless po. At sa lahat ng naniwalang inosente ako at nag-pray para sa victory ko, thank you so much.” (To everyone who judged me guilty without knowing the real story, God bless. And to those who believed in my innocence and prayed for my victory, thank you so much).

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Down but not out: Infected Pinay regains hope after getting help from kababayans

By Daisy CL Mandap 

'Liza' signs up with new employer, a day after testing negative for Covid-19

Many a migrant’s worst nightmare came true for 33-year-old Liza (not her real name) on Jan. 11, when she tested positive for Covid-19 while her visa status was in limbo.

Worse, after two weeks of stay at the community treatment facility at AsiaWorld-Expo, Liza was dealt another blow: her prospective employer backed out, and her employment agency hastily returned her passport, not wanting to have anything more to do with her.

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Then, as she was checking out at the AWE facility, she got another shock. As she was already on visitor’s visa, she was billed a whopping $40,800 for her two-week stay there.

Liza said that since she had no symptoms, except for a slight sore throat, she got no treatment at the facility, but was only tested repeatedly until she showed two successive negative results. In all, she said she had two blood tests and four coronavirus tests before she was released.

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In her desperation, Liza sent an appeal for help via a private message to Rain Tuando, administrator of Domestic Workers Corner, who immediately shared it in one of her group’s Facebook accounts.

“Maam, what should I do po? Totoo po pala ang discrimination, ang sakit. Gustuhin ko man pong umuwi ng Pinas wala akong pera,” said Liza. (Discrimination is real, it hurts. Even if I want to go home, I can’t because I don’t have money).

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Her appeal was immediately met with messages of hope and encouragement from her fellow helpers. Tuando took a step further and linked Liza up with people who could offer help.

Through a go-between, Liza was assured by the Consulate of financial help from the Dole-Akap cash grants for overseas Filipino workers whose jobs had been adversely affected by the coronavirus. She was also told she could get the AWE bill waived with help from the social welfare department.

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Others offered to look into how Liza could avail of the $5,000 financial help for Covid 19 patients that the Hong Kong government announced just a few months back.

But the biggest support so far came from the Mission for Migrant Workers, which gave Liza money to help pay for her own lodging space, so she need not worry about hiding her recent health problem from other people.

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At that time, Liza was staying temporarily in a shared room in Tsim Sha Tsui, and was so afraid of facing more discrimination that she did not dare share her brush with the coronavirus with the other people there.

Yet more good news came the following day, when Immigration extended Liza’s visa for another week so she could look for a new employer and process a new work contract here.

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Liza was overjoyed as she had technically overstayed her visa since Jan 22. She said she had to explain to an officer that she couldn’t apply for an visa extension, as she was at AWE then, being treated for Covid-19.

The next hurdle was getting swabbed again so she could present a negative test result to a recruiter as a first step towards getting a new employer.

Liza's bleak mood is shown by this only picture she took from her isolation room at AWE 

At first, Liza balked at having to revisit her worst nightmare, but her new positive outlook got her back on track soon enough.

“Pa swab test na po ako bukas. Kinabahan lang po ako noong una kasi bumabalik ang experience ko dati…pero I need to face it now,” she said in a message to a friend. (I will go for a swab test tomorrow. I just got nervous at first because my previous experience (with the virus) was all coming back…but I need to face it now).

But luck was back on her side. After testing negative for the virus for the third time, she was immediately linked up by an employment agency in Central with a new employer, who signed her up right away.

Liza’s brush with the deadly virus was not unique. A recent report to the Legislative Council by Labour Secretary Law Chi-kwong showed more than 400 foreign domestic workers had been infected, with half of these locally acquired.

However, her having been released more than a month early from her two-year contract made things more difficult for her.

Getting a new employer was a breeze, as Liza was deemed to have completed her previous work contract, even if the finish date indicated there was Jan. 15. The problem was, like with many migrant workers in her situation, she could not move in with her new employer in Tsim Sha Tsui until her new employment visa was released.

Not having any place to stay while waiting to move in with her prospective employer, Liza was forced to scour around for temporary lodgings. She ended up sharing a dingy room on Reclamation Street in Jordan with another Filipina domestic worker who was working fulltime and only spent the night there.

Her flatmate was lucky to have avoided being infected. So far, after several mandatory testing and a weekend lockdown, hundreds of cases have already been detected in Jordan and other parts of the Yau Tsim Mong district.

On Jan 11 alone, when Liza was led to isolation at AWE, there were seven others from the same housing block on Reclamation Street who tested positive for the virus. The infections continue to mount to this day.

Aiza shows her hefty bill from AWE that gave her more worries

Had times been different, Liza said she would have flown home for a quick reunion with her husband and two young kids in Camarines Norte when her first two-year contract ended. But with the pandemic wreaking havoc on all travel and vacation plans, she was left with no choice but to stay put.

Armed with her newfound faith and a realization that many people are willing to help, Liza is looking towards the future with renewed hope.

“Positive thoughts lang po talaga ang kailangan ko kasi nandyan si God na tutulong sa akin sa pamamagitan ng mga mabubuting tao para tulungan ako…Hindi naman po ako nawawalan ng pag-asa. Siguro ito din ang way niya para lalong lumakas ang faith ko sa kanya,” said Liza. (Positive thoughts are all I need because I know God is there to help me through all the good people around me. I haven’t lost hope. This must be His way to help strengthen my faith in Him).

Liza’s worst nightmare is clearly over.

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