Agencies exaggerated impact of PH flight ban, says Labour Secretary

By The SUN 

Law Chi-kwong says only about 500 Filipino DHs have been affected by the flight ban

Secretary for Labour and Welfare Law Chi-kwong said employment agencies have overestimated the impact of Hong Kong’s 14-day ban on flights from Manila.

Writing in his blog today, Apr 25, Law said only between 546 and 840 Filipino domestic workers have been affected, compared with the Hong Kong Union of Employment Agencies’ estimate of 1,800 helpers.

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This was based on actual data that showed only an average of 39 Filipino helpers had arrived in Hong Kong each day before the flight ban took effect on Tuesday last week.

Law said the numbers dropped since the Philippine government imposed a lockdown in Metro Manila and four adjacent provinces at the end of last month.

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But even given the previous daily average of 60 new arrivals, a maximum of just 840 Filipino DHs would be affected by the flight ban, which is less than half the number given by the agencies.

Last Tuesday, HKUEA chairman Thomas Chan told an RTHK program that the flight suspension would delay the arrival of as many as 1,800 FDHs. He also said employers who are in need of foreign helpers are offering far more than the minimum wage.

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But what he apparently failed to take into consideration was that no travel restriction is imposed on Indonesia, the other main source of FDHs in Hong Kong; thus the impact would not be as great.

Law said the overall number of domestic workers in Hong Kong had also decreased from 400,000 to around 370,000 during the pandemic.

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While admitting that the decline in the number of FDHs coming into Hong Kong would cause “great trouble to Hong Kong employers and families…” Law said the priority now is to get the epidemic under control.

To help ease the problem, he said the government has allowed expiring FDH contracts to be extended for three months, while those already in Hong Kong are allowed to extend their visas without having to go on home leave.

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Employers could also ask quarantine hotels for refund if their bookings for arriving helpers were affected.

Law’s statement came as the Centre for Health Protection announced that a Filipina helper who arrived on Apr 10 was the lone carrier of the coronavirus variant among six new cases of Covid-19 infections.

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Earlier, Consul Paul Saret of the Consulate’s assistance to nationals section said terminated Filipino helpers will be helped in appealing to Immigration to allow them to process new work contracts here.

Saret said that given the difficulty of getting new Filipino helpers to come to Hong Kong because of the flight ban, allowing those already here to secure new employment would also benefit their would-be employers.

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Hong Kong halted all incoming flights from the Philippines, Pakistan and India for two weeks starting on Apr 20, saying most cases of variant-carrying new arrivals in the past 14 days previously had come from these places.

The three countries were also classified as “extremely high risk,” meaning the flight suspension could be extended further, depending on the infection situation in each place.

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11 Filipina DHs held for gambling; fined for group gathering breach

By Vir B. Lumicao

The arrested Filipinas are loaded onto a police van for questioning

Eleven Filipina domestic helpers were arrested by police during an anti-illegal gambling operation on Murray Road near Charter Garden in Central this morning, Apr 25, the Hong Kong Police said.

As of 5pm today, the 11 were said to be still being held for questioning at the Central Police sub-station in Sheung Wan.

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The police also said the women were issued fixed penalty tickets of $5,000 each for breaching the group gathering rules under Regulation 599G, or the Prevention and Control of Diseases.

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The arrests took place at about 8:30 am today, when members of the Special Duty Squad, Task Force Sub-unit of the Central District, and the Police Tactical Unit, swooped down on the suspected illegal gamblers on Murray Road, a police spokeswoman said.

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Consul Paulo Saret, head of the Consulate’s assistance to nationals section, said they will again issue an advisory warning Filipino migrant workers that gambling in public is a criminal offense that could put their jobs in jeopardy.

He said the Consulate has been advising the community against illegal gambling but some people do not seem to heed the advice.

The Consulate's repeated advice against street gambling continues to be ignored (File) 

Just last month, about 12 domestic workers were also arrested for illegal gambling in Central, said Saret. They were investigated but were not charged due to insufficient evidence.

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In today’s operation, several exhibits, including playing cards and an undetermined amount of gambling money, were seized by the officers, the spokeswoman said. 

The Filipinas were reportedly being investigated for “gambling in a place other than a gambling establishment or on the street.”

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The police reminded the public that street gambling is illegal. Under the law, anyone who engages in illegal gambling on the street faces a maximum sentence of $30,000 fine and nine months in prison. 

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In addition, Regulation chapter 599G prohibits gatherings of more than four people in public. Offenders face a maximum penalty of $25,000 fine and imprisonment for six months.

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But they may choose to discharge liability for the offence by paying a fixed penalty of $5,000. 

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Filipina DH with variant sends residents of posh Mid-Levels block to quarantine

 By Daisy CL Mandap 

A govt statement says all residents of Kennedy Terrace will be quarantined

A 38-year-old Filipina domestic helper who was found to have the coronavirus variant five days after ending her hotel quarantine was officially listed today, Apr 24, as one of three confirmed infections, all of them locally acquired.

News of her infection no longer came as a surprise, as health expeirmed last night that the helper carried the highly infectious and resistant South African variant.

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Dr Yuen Pak-lung, who led the investigation team, said the helper appeared to have been infected with the N501Y variant by an Indian family who had stayed next door to her at the hotel during the quarantine, and were found infected earlier.

A government statement issued today said “compulsory quarantine for asymptomatic residents was arranged last night for units on all floors of the building resided (Kennedy Terrace, 8 Kennedy Road in Mid-Levels. So far, about 60 people were transferred to quarantine centers.”

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At the same time, the Centre for Health Protection has begun contacting people who stayed on the same floor of Ramada Sai Ying Pun as the Filipina from Apr 4 to 7 so they could be put under compulsory quarantine for 21 days.

Other people who had been to the hotel, including guests, staff and visitors, from Mar 27 to Apr 23, have been ordered to undergo testing by tomorrow, Apr 25.

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Earlier, the Immigration Department said it was closing the 8^th floor of Immigration Tower in Wanchai for three days starting today, after it was informed that the infected helper had been there to apply for HKID on Apr 19.

The entire floor will be cleaned and sterilized, while three immigration officers who had attended to the helper will be sent to quarantine.

Meanwhile, health expert, Prof. Ivan Hung of the University of Hong Kong, suggested at a radio talk show this morning that additional tests should be done on new arrivals after the 21-day quarantine period to ensure the mutated strain does not spread in the community.

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Hung, who is co-convenor of the experts panel that advises the government on adverse effects of the Covid-19 vaccination, also reiterated a call for Hong Kong to bar entry to travelers from places which have massive outbreaks.

Hung is calling for an entry ban for any country with massive Covid-19 outbreaks

His call came as India reported 346,786 Covid-19 cases in a single day, the highest ever recorded in any country.

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HKU public health professor, Leo Poon suggested quarantined guests should wear masks in the corridors, and keep windows closed to prevent airborne transmission of the virus.

Poon also said Hong Kong has done a good job trying to prevent the spread of the disease, but should remain alert because a lot of countries now have “this variant of concern.”

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The two other local cases include a 38-year-old man who was also reported preliminary positive yesterday. His case is causing some concern as he had been to a fitness centre in Tseung Kwan O at exactly the same time as a woman who was found infected earlier, leading to fears of another gym outbreak.

The third case involves a 3-year-old boy who is linked to a previous infection in Kwai Chung Estate.

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Meanwhile, an overnight lockdown of Block 10 of South Horizons in Aberdeen, during which 950 residents were tested, did not yield any new coronavirus case.

The unannounced lockdown was carried out after a 23-year-old female resident tested positive on Apr 22. The source of her infection is unknown.

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17 people arrested in Immigration's anti-illegal work swoop

By The SUN 

Photo taken from the latest anti-illegal work crackdown (GIS photo)

Twelve suspected illegal workers and five suspected employers were arrested in a series of anti-illegal worker operations codenamed “Twilight” from Apr 19 to 22 across Hong Kong, the Immigration Department reported.

Raided were 45 targets including a commercial block, a container yard, food processing factories, a garbage collection depot, a manicure shop, a massage parlor, premises under renovation, recycling yards and residential buildings.

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Also raided were restaurants, a wet market and a vegetable stall, a government press release said. The nationalities of the arrested persons were not disclosed.

The arrested workers comprised seven men and five women aged 27 to 59. Four of the men were holders of recognizance forms, which prohibit them from taking any employment.

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One man was suspected of using and having a forged Hong Kong ID card, while three men and two women aged 44 to 60 were suspected of employing the illegal workers.

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“Any person who contravenes a condition of stay in force in respect of him shall be guilty of an offence. Also, visitors are not allowed to take employment in Hong Kong, whether paid or unpaid, without the permission of the Director of Immigration,” the Immigration statement said.

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It said offenders are liable to prosecution and face a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to two years’ imprisonment upon conviction. “Aiders and abettors are also liable to prosecution and penalties.”

The statement said that illegal immigrants or people who are the subject of a removal or deportation order are prohibited from taking any employment, whether paid or unpaid, or establishing or joining in any business.

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Offenders are liable to a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to three years’ imprisonment upon conviction. A Court of Appeal guideline calls for a sentence of 15 months’ in jail for doing illegal work.

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It is an offence to use or possess a forged Hong Kong identity card or one that is issued to another person. Offenders are liable to prosecution and a maximum penalty of a $100,000 fine and up to 10 years' imprisonment.

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The spokesman also reiterated that it is a serious offense to employ people who are not lawfully employable. The maximum penalty is three years in jail and a $350,000 fine.

He said employers must take all practicable steps to determine whether a person is lawfully employable before hiring him.

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Immigration Tower's 8th floor shut for 3 days after visit by infected FDH

By Daisy CL Mandap 

The 8th floor of Immigration Tower will be closed for disinfection until Monday

The Immigration Department has issued a statement Friday night that it will close its Registration of Persons Office on the 8^th flooor of the Immigration Tower in Wanchai for three days starting tomorrow until Monday, after a person carrying the mutated coronavirus had visited the premises briefly.

The infected person was identified earlier by the Centre for Health Protection as a Filipina domestic helper who was found to carry the highly infectious N501Y variant five days after finishing her 21-day quarantine.

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She was reported to have visited the Immigration Tower, a clinic in Melbourne Plaza, and an employment agency office on Queens’ Road Central on Apr 19, two days after being ending her quarantine at Ramada Harbour View Hotel in Sai Ying Pun.

According to an infectious disease expert who inspected the hotel Friday night, the Filipina was apparently infected by two people in the adjacent rooms on the same floor who were diagnosed with the variant earlier.

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The two earlier patients who were reportedly part of a family of three who had flown in from India, developed symptoms between Apr 4 and 7, while the Filipina helper was spending her quarantine in the hotel.

Prof. Yuen Kwok-yung from the Department of Microbiology of the University of Hong Kong, pointed out that the hotel corridor is narrow, and a person who opens the door without wearing a mask could easily be infected.

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He said he has proposed that the hotel reduce the number of guests or install air purifier in the corridors.

Yuen says the hotel corridors are so narrow the virus could easily spread among guests on same floor

Meanwhile, the Immigration statement said the infected helper went to the eighth floor office to apply for a HKID card and stayed there for only about 10 minutes.

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Nevertheless, three immigration officers on the floor were classified as close contacts and will be moved to a quarantine center. The entire office will be sealed for cleaning and disinfection and will reopen on Tuesday, Apr 27.

A separate report posted online by Dimsum Daily said that at about 9:30 pm Friday, the 8 Kennedy Terrace residential block at no 8 Kennedy Road in Mid-Levels was sealed, while about 36 residents in 12 flats were being moved to evacuation centers.

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The infected FDH is said to have moved into her employer’s flat in the building on Apr 17, after finishing her quarantine at Ramada Hotel in Sai Ying Pun, during which all her test results had come out negative.

If her infection is confirmed after a second test tomorrow, the Kennedy Road block will be listed for compulsory testing in line with government regulations to combat the spread of  the virus.

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Earlier, CHP’s Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan said the employer’s family members as well as two other FDHs would be taken to a quarantine center. Those who attended to the helper at the employment agency will also be quarantined.

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The Filipina helper was found preliminary positive after getting herself tested at the Leighton Hill Community Testing Centre in Wanchai on Thursday, Apr 22.

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She was the fourth person found with the variant in the community. Two others, an Indian resident and an Indonesian domestic helper, were found to carry the South African variant after being released from their hotel quarantine. The third local case was the Hong Kong-based girlfriend of the Indian man.

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