Café de Coral denies Filipino DH ban, threatens lawsuit

By The SUN 

Cafe de Coral is threatening to sue people behind the rumor that it is banning Filipino DHs

Hong Kong’s largest fast food chain, Café de Coral, has denied “rumours” which began circulating overnight that it is banning Filipino domestic helpers from entering its restaurants.

A statement released by the company today, May 7, says the matter has been reported to the police and that it reserves the right to file a lawsuit against those spreading the false news.

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“The (Café de Coral) Group is highly concerned about rumours regarding Café de Coral banning Filipino domestic helpers from entry, which are absolutely unfounded and untrue. We have reported the case to the Police and reserve the right to pursue further action against relevant parties,” said the statement.

The claim first came out as a post by a certain “John Richards,” - apparently a fictitious account - that Café de Coral has started banning Filipino DHs into its restaurants, purportedly to help China shift the blame for Covid-19 onto foreign domestic workers.

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The post said helpers are being asked by Café de Coral staff if they are Filipinos before being allowed entry.

Despite no definite incident being cited, or pictures or testimonies to back up the claim, the post was shared extensively by members of the Filipino community.

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Some of those who fell for the rumor called for a boycott of the fastfood chain, which is highly popular among FDHs because of its affordably priced meals.

Others who were more discerning warned of being taken to court for spreading false information on social media.

Many Filipina DHs posted photos of them eating in Cafe de Coral to dispel the rumor 

Under Hong Kong’s Racial Discrimination Ordinance, it is unlawful to hold up any group for vilification or contempt, or treat them less favorably, because of their race or ethnicity.

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Any offender may be liable to a fine of up to $100,000 and imprisonment of up to two years.

On the other hand, anyone who maliciously publishes any defamatory allegation, knowing the same to be false, shall be liable to imprisonment of up to two years, and in addition, pay such fine as the court may award.

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The rumor was circulated in the wake of news that a number of Filipina DHs had been found to carry the mutated form of the coronavirus after gathering in a flat in Sham Shui Po.

The Café de Coral group was in the news recently after reportedly posting a near fivefold increase in annual net profit despite the pandemic.

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The group’s parent company operates about 450 restaurants in Hong Kong and the mainland, including some 150 Café de Coral outlets, The Spaghetti House and Oliver’s Super Sandwiches.

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At least 40K FDHs still need to get tested as deadline nears

By The SUN 

Labour is again sending 4 mobile testing vans to FDH hotspots this weekend

The Labour Department has called on foreign domestic helpers to get tested as soon as possible, and avoid the last-minute rush to beat the deadline for compulsory testing this weekend.

Labour said in a statement on Thursday, May 6, that 201,000 foreign domestic helpers had complied with mandatory testing as of Tuesday. An additional 130,000 had booked places at community testing centers between May 5 and the May 9 deadline.

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That is still 40,000 short of the total FDH population of about 370,000. But basing from the figures from the first day of testing on May 1, when 52,000 were served, the shortfall could still be met.

The Department has announced that four mobile testing stations will be deployed again at four places where FDHs often hang out on May 8 and 9, from 10am to 8pm. These are Chater Garden in Central, Soccer Pitch 6 at Victoria Park in Causeway Bay, Lai Chi Kok Park and Tsuen Wan Park.

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At the same time, FDHs can submit bottles containing saliva specimens to community testing centers or mobile collection stations in the coming days. The specimen bottles can be picked up from MTR stations and post offices. Details can be found here: (www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202105/05/P2021050500844.htm).    

So far, three FDHs who got tested were found to carry the mutant strain of the coronavirus, with another one testing positive after being identified as a close contact of one of the carriers.

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In its statement, Labour called on FDHs to get tested immediately, and employers to let them go out on a weekday to prevent mobile testing stations being swamped with walk-in applicants on Saturday and Sunday.

“We remind FDHs who are subject to compulsory testing to be tested as soon as possible. To avoid long wait times on the weekend, we encourage FDHs to receive testing today (May 6) and tomorrow (May 7) as far as possible. We appeal to employers to allow their FDHs to receive testing on a weekday.”

Migrant leaders fear a deluge at testing stations over the weekend

Filipino and Indonesian community leaders have warned that chaos could ensue over the weekend, particularly on Sunday, which is the only day given by some employers to their helpers to get out of the house.

Dolores Balladares of United Filipinos (Migrante) Hong Kong has said in several interviews that not a few FDHs have expressed concern that they wouldn’t be able to meet the deadline as their employers are not allowing them to go out on a weekday to get tested.

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Balladares said this could lead to migrant workers turning out by the tens of thousands on the last day of the testing period and having to wait for hours to get tested.

She said this would expose workers not just to the elements but also the risk of contracting the coronavirus from an unknown carrier as they need to stand close to each other in the queue. 

 

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Eni Lestari of International Migrant Alliance said in The SUN Interviews on Facebook Wednesday night that concerned consulates should lead their respective communities in ensuring that migrant domestic workers are able to comply with the order.

Lestari said many workers do not even know where to go for tests after most appointment slots at community testing centers were filled as soon as the compulsory testing notice was issued on Apr 30.

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The government said then that all FDHs should submit themselves to Covid-19 tests between May 1 to 9, citing the cases of two FDHs, both Filipinas, being found with the mutated virus.

But experts say the first was infected by next-door neighbors in her quarantine hotel in Sai Ying Pun, and was not detected until she had moved in with her employer in Mid-Levels.

The other caught the virus from an Indian returnee who tested positive five days after finishing his 21-day hotel quarantine, and had gone around the city, infecting at least three other Filipinas.

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Deepwater Bay beach-goers told to get tested after visits by carrier’s kin

By Vir B. Lumicao

Those who were at Deepwater Bay beach on Apr 25 & May 1 need to get tested

People who were in Deepwater Bay Beach in Island South on Apr 25 and May 1 are being ordered to get compulsory coronavirus tests after relatives of a Filipina infected with the South African variant attended two gatherings there.

A compulsory testing notice on people who were at the beach will have to be complied with before May 8.

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The Centre for Health Protection said everyone who attended both gatherings will be moved to quarantine centers as the case involves the N501Y mutant strain.

The 31-year-old Filipina is a girlfriend of an Indian man who arrived Apr 4 from Dubai and was found infected with the variant after he had completed quarantine in Ramada Grand Hong Kong in Tsim Sha Tsui.

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The woman lived with her boyfriend in Parkes Building in Jordan and eventually also tested positive for the dreaded strain on Apr 18.  

Earlier, the government said the Filipina’s family members held a gathering in a Sham Shui Po flat where three Filipina domestic workers who recently tested positive for the variant were among the guests.

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The pandemic situation in Hng Kong continued to stabilize today, May 6, with two women, both domestic workers from the Philippines and Indonesia, the only confirmed new cases. None of them carried the mutant strain, the CHP said.

The Filipina, 42, arrived asymptomatic on a Philippine Airlines PR 300 flight from Manila on Apr 16. She was negative upon arrival and went to the Grand City Hotel in Sai Ying Pun for quarantine. She tested positive on her 19^th day there, the CHP said.

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The Indonesian, 32, arrived from Surabaya on Apr 23 on Cathay Pacific flight CX2870. She was also negative and asymptomatic on arrival. She checked into Ramada Hong Kong Grand in Tsim Sha Tsui and tested positive on her 12th day of quarantine.

The two new cases took Hong Kong’s total caseload to 11,799.

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As of 9am today, a total of 88 confirmed patients were being treated in 15 public hospitals and the North Lantau Hospital Hong Kong Infection Control Centre, the Hospital Authority said.

Among them were three patients in critical condition, two in serious condition and the remaining 83 in stable condition.

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A total of 92 cases have been reported in the past 14 days to May 5, including 18 local cases, of which four are from unknown sources.
     
Meanwhile, the CHP reminded those who had visited specified venues for at least two hours under the Prevention and Control of Disease Regulation (Cap. 599J) to undergo compulsory nucleic acid testing.

People are also urged to seek medical attention early if symptoms develop and undergo testing as soon as possible.

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3 FDHs with mutated virus linked to carrier from Dubai

By Daisy CL Mandap

 

A gathering in this Shamshuipo building was attended by the 3 Filipina DHs

Health authorities have uncovered a direct link between an Indian returnee from Dubai who was identified as the first local case with the N501Y variant of the coronavirus, and three Filipina domestic workers recently found to also carry the mutant strain.

According to a press statement issued by the Centre for Health Protection on Wednesday night, two separate family gatherings appeared to have spread the variant among the index patient, his Filipina girlfriend, and the three Filipina DHs. 

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Extensive contact tracing reportedly showed that the man who ended his 21-day hotel quarantine on Apr 9 (case no 11643) and his girlfriend who he apparently infected (11672) joined the woman’s family at a gathering on Apr 13 at Fung Hing House of Hing Wah Estate in Chai Wan.

On Apr 18, a Sunday, three of the guests at the Chai Wan gathering had another party at their home at 37 Fuk Wing Street in Sham Shui Po. Present at the gathering were cases 11773 (the FDH who lives in Caribbean Coast, Tung Chung); 11793 (who lives in Kornhill Garden, Quarry Bay) and 11797 (lives in Royalton, Pokfulam).

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Following this discovery, the CHP sent everyone who attended both gatherings to a quarantine center. 

Everyone who stayed at the Sham Shui Po building from Apr 15 to May 5 have been told to undergo undergo compulsory testing before May 7. 

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As a compulsory testing order was issued on May 3 to residents of Fung Hing House due to the result of a sewage sample test, people who had stayed in the building from Apr 30 to May 3 will also have to undergo testing by May 6. 

The Citygate Outlet mall was originally thought of as the link between the cases

The same order was issued to the workplaces of two guests at the gathering: Urban Bakery Works at Shop 322, 3/F, Landmark Atrium and Oliver's the Delicatessen at Shop 201-2, 2/F, Landmark Prince's. Everyone who had visited either of these places from Apr 15 to May 5 should undergo testing by May 7.

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Because of the latest findings, cases 11773 and 11793 have been reclassified as local cases linked to previous infections. 

The first, which involves a 39-year-old Filipina living in Tung Chung, had previously been described as the first local case of a variant carrier with an unknown source. 

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The second, pertaining to the 46-year-old Filipina living in Kornhill Garden, was also classified as local with an unknown source. Her 38-year-old friend from Pokfulam, case no 11797, was linked to her. 

The index case in the cluster is a 29-year-old Indian man who arrived in Hong Kong on Mar 19 from Dubai. He tested negative during his 21-day hotel quarantine, and went on to live with his girlfriend in Parkes Building in Jordan.

He was found to carry the South African variant after he got himself tested on Apr 14, in preparation for his return to Dubai.

Coincidentally, he and his girlfriend had visited Citygate Outlet mall in Tung Chung on the same day that the Filipina living in Caribbean Coast was there, leading investigators to initially believe the infection happened there. 

More details of the Indian man’s whereabouts during the incubation period came out after investigations showed his variant had exactly the same genetic sequencing as that found in his girlfriend and the Filipina in Tung Chung. 

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Jobless Pinoy accused of breaking into former workplace and stealing $3k

By Vir B. Lumicao 

The jobless man was charged with burglary in Eastern Court

A jobless Filipino man was charged with burglary in court Wednesday, Mar 5, after he allegedly broke into a restaurant where he used to work, and took off with $3,000. 

A. M. Trono, 26, was charged with the offense before Eastern Court Magistrate Peter Law. 

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He was arrested on the night of May 2 after the alleged break-in at The Comptoir restaurant in Sai Wan, Hong Kong. Staff who arrived for work the next day saw that the cash was missing and called the police.

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The prosecutor said a review of CCTV footage at the restaurant showed the accused using a key to gain entry.

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At the prosecution’s request, Law adjourned the case until Jun 17 for further inquiry.

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The defense lawyer applied for bail of $2,000 citing the long adjournment, but the prosecution objected.

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Law granted bail, but ordered the defendant not to contact the restaurant or go there, in addition to not leaving Hong Kong, staying at the address he supplied the court, and reporting to police every week.

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Migrants call for Law’s apology as they claim victory over forced jab recall

By Vir B. Lumicao 

Hundreds of FDWs were exposed to the elements while getting themselves tested

A migrant support group is claiming victory over the government’s decision to back down from a plan to require all foreign domestic helpers applying for a work visa in Hong Kong to get vaccinated.

The Asian Migrants Coordinating Body also said in a press conference held Wednesday that Labour Secretary Law Chi-kwong should apologize for saying FDHs who don’t want to comply with the order should work elsewhere.

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The group vowed to continue opposing mandatory test and vaccination for migrant workers, saying the “discriminatory” moves could be restored by the government anytime. 

Chief Executive Carrie Lam said before an Executive Council meeting on Tuesday that requiring FDHs applying for work visas in Hong Kong to get vaccinated first was just a plan that was still being studied 

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She said consulates of countries that send migrant workers to Hong Kong would be consulted first on the likely impact of enforcing such an order. 

“While we welcome the chief executive’s decision, we continue to call for the scrapping of any mandatory vaccination policy that singles out foreign domestic workers,” said Dolores Balladares, a spokesperson for the AMCB.

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She urged the government to also hold consultations with migrant domestic workers’ organizations, unions and NGOs as the policy impacts their bodies, health and work.

Balladares also wants the forced testing of MDWs halted

Balladares called for a halt to the ongoing mandatory testing of MDWs, which she said exposes the workers to health risks as they stand close together under the sun and  rain for hours waiting to get tested.

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“The Hong Kong government must stop implementing policies of discrimination and social exclusion in their pandemic response. Instead, we hope that they learned from the united response of the migrant domestic workers and the local community against the discriminatory policy,” she said.

Johannie Tong, community relations officer of the Mission for Migrant Workers, said the mandatory testing of MDWs from May 1 to 9 has caused a lot of burden and trouble for the migrant workers and the employers.

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“Since we know that all lines of community testing are mostly full, some of them waited for five hours and some of them queued up at 4am. Such requirement for migrant domestic workers also increased unnecessary conflict and tension between the (MDWs) and their employers,” Tong said.

Tong urged the government to revoke the mandatory testing notice and set the migrant workers free from the threat of fines and penalties.

“As well, we welcome the announcement of Chief Executive Carrie Lam yesterday to rethink the policy of making Covid-19 vaccination mandatory for their future visa application,” Tong said.

She also said she hoped the Hong Kong government will treat migrant domestic workers as equals and not impose policies that are unfair and discriminatory.

Fielding a media question, Balladares said the government has not involved migrant organizations in the consultations, while they are the ones targeted by the mandatory test and vaccination.

Sringatin, who is also an AMCB spokesperson, said some migrant workers fell sick after the first two days of the mandatory testing because they had to stand in line outside testing centers for hours where they were exposed to the elements.

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