7 new Covid-19 cases reported as expert cautions against travel ban

By The SUN

Residents line up for Covid tests in Yau Tong, where a family of 4 were infected

Hong Kong recorded seven new coronavirus infections, four local and three linked to a case reported yesterday, bringing the city’s total tally to 11,532.

The three local cases are the family members of a sales staff who tested positive yesterday, and whose source is unknown.

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They include his 12-day old baby boy, 7-year-old daughter and 31-year-old wife who were all found infected while under quarantine. They all live together in Wah Tong House at Yau Tong estate.

The four imported cases involve three residents who just flew in from India, including one who had onset of symptoms on Mar 24, and one returnee from Pakistan who had symptoms on arrival.

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The new figures were reported amid calls from various health experts to halt flights from the Philippines, India and Pakistan, the three high-risk countries said to have the most number of travelers coming in with the mutated form of the coronavirus.

But infectious disease expert, Joseph Tsang, today said he didn’t see a need for Hong Kong to ban flights from the three countries just yet, saying there’s a need to first assess the impact of such a move on the community, including families waiting for foreign domestic helpers.

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Tsang, who is with the Medical Association, said the mutated strains of the coronavirus can now be found around the globe.

“When the mutated virus strains are everywhere in the world, it’s hard to say what places are high risk or low risk,” Tsang said in an interview with RTHK.

Tsang says the mutated virus is all over the world, not just in 'high-risk' places (RTHK)

He said that to safeguard against the possible spread of the mutated virus in the community, the government should rethink its policy of relaxing quarantine requirements for incoming travelers, even if they are from countries considered as “low risk.”

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Local officials recently said the city’s strict 21-day quarantine could soon be cut to just 14 days for travelers from “low-risk” places such as Singapore, Australia and New Zealand, though they will have to self-monitor their health for seven more days.

However, microbiologist Prof. Ho Pak-leung reiterated his earlier call for a ban on the high-risk places, saying in particular that the three targeted countries have contributed to many recent imported infections in Hong Kong.

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Speaking during an interview with Commercial Radio, Ho, who is with the Department of Microbiology at the University of Hong Kong, warned the coronavirus variant from these countries could lead to another mass outbreak in the city.

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Of the 127 new infections recorded in the past two weeks, 98 were imported cases. Of the 29 local cases, nine had no known sources.

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16 new Covid-19 cases recorded, including 6 Filipina DHs

By Daisy CL Mandap 

Many Filipinos still come to HK with the virus, despite testing negative back home

There has been a renewed call to ban foreign domestic helpers from entering Hong Kong as six more Filipina migrant workers were included in the list of Covid-19 cases today, Apr 5. Three of them carried the highly infections N501Y strain of the coronavirus.

A total of 16 new infections were reported, and all but one were imported cases.

The other imported cases included five returning residents from India, and four from Pakistan. Two travelers from India and another two from Pakistan also had the coronavirus variant.

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The sole local case had an unknown source.

A second infectious disease expert has called on the government to consider banning people from high-risk places from coming to Hong Kong, or limit the ban to FDHs since many of them have come in with both Covid-19 and the mutated strain of the virus.

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Speaking on an RTHK program, Dr Leung Chi-chiu warned there was an increasing risk that mutant variants could spread in the city, as most of the recent Covid infections were imported cases.

Leung said the government should review whether to continue letting travelers from high-risk places enter Hong Kong, and suspend the entry of FDHs.

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His views echoes those of microbiologist Yuen Kwok-yung who warned earlier of a possible leak of the variant in quarantine hotels where new arrivals are held for 21 days and tested two more times for Covid-19 before being given the all-clear.

Responding anew to queries about the proposed ban, Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection reiterated that Hong Kong has enough restrictions in place to stop the spread of the mutated viruses in the community.

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“We are already instituting one of the strictest border controls in the world, the 21-day quarantine in designated hotels,” said Chuang.

On top of this, she said new arrivals are subjected to frequent testing to make sure that they are not infected with the coronavirus before they are allowed to join the community.

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“But of course, the government may consider other restrictions in the future.”

She made her statements amid reports of an unprecedented surge in infectious in countries where many of the new arrivals in Hong Kong come from.

India's surge in Covid-19 cases is partly blamed on people flouting quarantine rules

In India today, the daily infections rose above 100,000 for the first time. Only the United States and Brazil have seen triple-digit increases in Covid-19 cases in one day.

In the Philippines, whose population of about 110 million is a tenth of India’s, the daily tally also rose to a record 15,000 plus cases last Friday. It declined to 8,355 today, but the daily surges for the past week has pushed the country’s total active cases to 143,726, the highest in the region.

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According to Chuang, all the infected Filipina DHs flew in aboard Cebu Pacific Flight 5J272, although on two different dates.

One, who is 42 years old, arrived on Apr 3 and tested positive at the airport. The five others, aged 27, 28, 31, 34 and 37, came on Mar 23 and tested positive on their second test while in hotel quarantine.

The five passengers from India all flew in aboard Vistara Airlines, four on Apr 4 (UK6395), and one (UK6391) on Mar 1. As a result, Hong Kong has imposed a 14-day ban on passenger flights of Vistara from Delhi starting tomorrow, in line with anti-epidemic regulations.

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It is not clear, though, why the same ban was not imposed on Cebu Pacific, which flew in five passengers in a single flight from Manila.

The four passengers from Pakistan came on two different dates, but all flew aboard Emirates Airlines Flight EK384. Two arrived on Apr 3 and tested positive at the airport while the two others, on Mar 23, and were found infected on their 12^th day in hotel quarantine.

Meanwhile, the sole local case is said to be a 32-year-old salesman at a Fortress shop at Wai Fung Plaza in Mong Kok who stopped going to work on Mar 22 so he could look after his wife who was about to give birth.

His wife gave birth on Mar 24 at United Christian Hospital, but Chuang said the patient did not enter the delivery room or the wards and just waited outside in the corridors.

But he did go to the wet market on the ground floor of Lei Yue Muen Plaza every day for the past week, where a couple who recently tested positive for Covid-19 had also been to.

The man’s wife and their baby are now said to be in quarantine, as well as some other family member and dozens of his colleagues.

CHP has issued a compulsory testing order on anyone who had been to the wet market or the shop on Nathan Road in the past 14 days for at least two hours.

Chuang said there were two or three preliminary positive cases, but all were imported.

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CG says HK flight ban on Philippines not necessary

By Daisy CL Mandap

Congen Tejada says HK is able to effectively screen out variant carriers

Consul General Raly Tejada has said that Hong Kong has enough safeguards in place to ensure the highly infectious coronavirus variants do not spread in the community, including those brought in by foreign domestic workers from the Philippines.

“Apart from the rather lengthy 21-day mandatory (hotel) quarantine, I believe the current law governing the deployment of Filipino workers to the territory is adequate for now,” said ConGen Tejada.

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He was responding to articles in local media calling on the government to study the recent surge in the number of travelers from the Philippines coming in not only with the coronavirus, but also with the mutated strain, said to be 70 times more infectious.

Among those who urged for a study of data of travelers from the Philippines was Dr Ho Pak-leung, head of the Infectious Diseases Centre of the University of Hong Kong.

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Ho said in interviews on Apr 2 that the number of imported cases in the previous 10 days was high, and they were mostly travelers from the Philippines and Indonesia.

On that day, six of the 13 confirmed Covid-19 cases recorded in Hong Kong were FDHs from the Philippines, and they all carried the N501Y variant. Two were Indonesian DHs, but they did not have the variant.

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Ho noted that there had been a serious rebound in cases in the Philippines, and the government should review the percentage of recent arrivals from the country who had tested positive and were found to carry the variant.

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He also pointed out that despite having negative test certificates prior to boarding their flights, many of the passengers from the Philippines still tested positive on arrival in Hong Kong.

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He said this showed that either the epidemic situation in the Philippines is serious, or the tests carried out are inaccurate.

If the number of infections with the variant continues to increase, he said the government should consider suspending flights from the Philippines, for the same reason it banned flights from the United Kingdom when the mutated virus was first reported from there.

Ho says HK should consider suspending flights from PHL

Ho raised the specter of the variant leaking from quarantine hotels and into the community as another reason why a flight ban from the Philippines should be considered.

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But when asked the same question during a news briefing that day, Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the communicable disease branch of the Centre for Health Protection, said, “There are other factors to consider.”

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Chuang pointed out that there are enough restrictions in place to avert the possible spread of the variant, including the stringent 21-day quarantine and the negative test result required of travelers from high risk countries.

She also said the much-feared variant has not been seen in any local case.

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HK posts 7 coronavirus cases today, all imported

By The SUN 

The 5 infected passengers with the variant flew in aboard an Air India flight (File)

Hong Kong reported no new local coronavirus infections today, Apr 4, but with seven imported ones, including five returnees from India who were carrying the highly infectious N501Y variant.

The two others were both foreign domestic helpers who did not carry the mutated virus. A 48-year-old Filipina arrived from Manila via a Cathay flight CX906 flight on Mar 31, while a 44-year-old Indonesian flew in on CX2780 from Surabaya on Apr 2.

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Staff at the Centre for Health Protection said all the five travelers from India took Air India Flight 1310 from Kolkata on Mar 22, and tested positive for Covid-19 on their second test while in hotel quarantine.

The passengers, aged 4 to 37, were asymptomatic and stayed in three separate hotels.

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The CHP said 130 infections had been recorded since Mar 21, including 39 local cases, of which 11 had no known source.

People have been flocking to newly reopened beaches

Despite its constant reminder for people to stay at home and avoid dining out, thousands continued to descend on beaches, theme parks and at malls on the third day of the long Easter and Ching Ming holidays.

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Health officials are worried that the sudden flow of people outdoors could trigger a rebound in local cases. The last time there was no local case was on Mar 27.

Among the officials who expressed concern was Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung, who urged the public to remain vigilant during the long holiday.

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“When participating in outdoor events and tomb-sweeping activities during the Easter holidays and Ching Ming Festival, people should remain vigilant and strictly abide by the infection-control rules, as well as wear masks and avoid crowded areas,” Cheung wrote on his blog.

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“If members of the public let their guard down or stop being careful, it is very likely a resurgence of cases could happen after the holiday, which would render all our hard work in fighting the virus completely futile,” Cheung said.

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On Saturday, Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan also urged the public to maintain social distancing and avoid crowded places, as thousands took advantage of the clear weather to go out, mostly to newly-reopened beaches and swimming pools.

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Today’s cases took Hong Kong’s infection tally to 11,509 since the Covid-19 outbreak began in January last year.

The Hospital Authority said that as at 9am today, a total of 127 confirmed patients were being treated in 21 public hospitals and the North Lantau Hospital Hong Kong Infection Control Centre.

Of this number, nine patients are in critical condition, three are serious and the remaining 115 patients are stable.

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Bus fares to go up from tomorrow, Apr 4

By The SUN

Citybus and New World are allowed to raise fares this year and next

Bus fares across Hong Kong will rise between 8.5 percent and 9.8 percent tomorrow, with further increments taking effect from next year.

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Citybus and New World First Bus, which mainly operate on Hong Kong island, will increase charges by 8.5 percent from tomorrow, and a further 3.2 percent taking effect on Jan 2, 2022. (For example, the fare for route no 10 from North Point Ferry to Kennedy Town, will go up from $3.70 to $4)

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KMB, which mainly operates in Kowloon, will adjust fares also by 8.5 percent, but because of the mitigating effect of the Franchised Bus Toll Exemption Fund (TEF) the average fare increase of KMB's solely operated routes would only be 5.8 per cent.

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The New Lantao Bus Company will charge 9.8 percent more.

The new fares were approved by the Executive Council on Mar 16.

Govt says about 90% of riders will not pay more than $1 extra 

In a statement, the government said about 90 per cent of passengers will pay no more than $1 extra per trip. With the implementation of the second phase of fee increases by Citybus and New World next year, about 90 per cent of their passengers will pay no more than $1.50 extra per trip in total.

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The government also said the franchised bus operators have been facing severe financial difficulties because of the declining revenue in the wake of the pandemic, and rising operating costs.

 

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“It is of great importance to maintain the financial viability of the franchised bus operators for providing safe and quality public bus services, the government will continue to encourage and assist franchised bus operators to adopt a multi-pronged approach in the long run in implementing revenue-raising and expenditure-cutting measures,” the statement said.

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The public may check notices displayed at bus stops to find out how much they have to pay as a result of the increase. They may also visit the bus companies’ websites (www.kmb.hk, www.bravobus.com.hk and www.nlb.com.hk) for the new fares on individual routes.

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