HK to hold new round of mandatory testing for FDWs

By Daisy CL Mandap

CE Lam admits the govt is 'like working in the dark' as she announced a new round of tests for FDWs

The Hong Kong government is set to hold another round of mandatory testing for all foreign domestic workers in the city starting on Saturday, May 15, until May 30. As before, all those who are fully vaccinated are exempt.

This was disclosed by Chief Executive Carrie Lam in a press conference earlier today, May 11, ahead of the weekly Executive Council meeting.

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Lam said the move is a precaution for any possible outbreaks of infectious Covid-19 variants, but conceded the government was “like working in the dark when determining appropriate public health measures.”

Taking note of the chaotic implementation of the earlier round of testing, which was done with only a day’s notice and conducted over nine days, she said the government decided to extend the testing period this time.

Those who need not go to for tests are those who had their second dose of a vaccine at least 14 days before the end of the testing period, or on or before May 17.

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The top official noted that 340,000 helpers had themselves tested during the initial round (with a further 40,000 being exempt for having taken two doses of the vaccine on or before Apr 25). Three of those tested were found infected with the mutant N501Y strain of the coronavirus.

She reiterated that the government was not pushing through with a plan to also require all FDWs to submit themselves to compulsory vaccination, after it was met with a lot of protests.

CG Tejada says it is 'illogical' to require FDWs to get tested and not their employers

Consul General Raly Tejada said he immediately voiced out his concerns about the new round of testing when he and his Indonesian counterpart, Ricky Suhendar, were informed about it during separate meetings with Labour Secretary Law Chi-kwong late yesterday.

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Congen Tejada said he questioned the necessity of another mandatory test, citing the “near-perfect compliance” of FDWs to the initial round.

“I also stated that I find it illogical to not include the employers who are in the same household. They replied that it was a question of logistics to test another 1 million people (employers),” he said.

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“I did not agree to the idea of another mandatory test, saying that the government was not even prepared to meet the high demand of the first exercise. Secretary Law said that they learned from the last experience and will make the second round of mandatory testing more efficient and convenient.”

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Law reportedly assured both diplomats that employers will be asked to make appointments for their workers so nobody will have to rush, and the overcrowding that happened previously at testing centers will not happen again.

But Congen Tejada warned that the new round of mandatory testing would not go down well with the Filipino community.

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4 FDHs test positive for Covid-19 while in quarantine

By The SUN 

The 4 infected FDHs arrived on various dates last month

Four foreign domestic helpers, three from Indonesia and one from India, were the only confirmed cases of Covid-19 reported in Hong Kong today, May 10. No one was found to carry the coronavirus variant.

It marked the second straight day that no new local cases were found, and continued a streak of single-digit infections in the city.

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According to staff at the Centre for Health Protection, the Indian DH arrived on Apr 18 via flight UK 6397, just two days before Hong Kong imposed a flight ban on India, Pakistan and the Philippines, which remains to this day.

The 36-year-old woman was on her 19^th day in quarantine at Grand City Hotel in Sai Ying Pun when she was found infected.

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The three others are all Indonesian women who arrived in Hong Kong on different dates.

The first to arrive is 25 years old, and flew in on Apr 23 aboard CX 2780. She developed symptoms on May 3 while in quarantine at Regal Oriental Hotel in Kowloon City.

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The second is 38 years old and arrived via CX 798 on Apr 25. She was asymptomatic and was staying at Vela Hotel in Wan Chai when she tested positive on her 12^th day sample.

The third is 36 years old and arrived on Apr 30 via CX 2780. She tested positive on her 7^th day sample while staying at Silka Seaview Hotel in Yau Ma Tei.

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They took the number of cases in Hong Kong to 11,812.

A top microbiologist says HK is lucky that the variant that spread recently was not virulent 

Meanwhile, a microbiologist from the University of Hong Kong has told RTHK that the city has been lucky to have escaped an outbreak of a more virulent strain of the coronavirus.

Siddhart Sridhar was referring to the a cluster of infections linked to an Indian man who flew in from Dubai and apparently caught the variant first found in South Africa during his hotel quarantine.

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Seven people in Hong Kong caught the mutant virus from him, including his girlfriend and her mother, three domestic helpers and an employer and her 10-month-old baby.

Sridhar said wearing masks probably helped, but warned Hong Kong may not be as lucky next time.

He said authorities should remain cautious, since the virus is now seen to have a longer incubation period. He also said the coronavirus is here to stay, and vaccination is the only way out of the pandemic.

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Mandatory tests on 340k FDWs show no silent spread, high takeup for vaccines

By Daisy CL Mandap 

A record 52,000 FDWs were tested on May 2, the second day of compulsory testing

It appears foreign domestic workers have fully complied with the Hong Kong government’s order for them to get tested, judging from the data released late on Sunday, the last day for complying with mandatory testing.

According to a government statement, nearly 340,000 FDWs had taken the test while around 40,000 others had received two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine 14 days before the deadline, and were thus exempt.

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The total figure far exceeds the government’s initial estimate that 370,000 helpers were due to take the required test between May 1 and 9, as directed by health officials.

It also shows the FDW population having a higher take-up for the vaccine (at 10.5%) than the local population.

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According to the latest figures from the government, only about 500,000 of the 6.55 million eligible residents have taken the two jabs, or just 7.6% overall.

In the statement, Hong Kong officials thanked FDWs and their employers for complying with the order issued on Apr 30, amid unfounded fears that a silent transmission of the dreaded South African variant was spreading among them.

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In a press conference held on that day, FDWs were called a “high risk” group since they supposedly gather in large numbers during their day-off, and then return to their employers’ houses where they take care of the elderly or young children.

It turned out that a Filipina helper in Tung Chung who was identified as the first carrier of a variant from an unknown source, had acquired it indirectly from an Indian man who had just arrived from Dubai and was infected during his hotel quarantine.

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After the massive testing that was held over just nine days, only three migrant workers, all of them Filipinas, tested positive for Covid-19, but the feared “silent transmission” among them was not found.

FDWs lined up for hours to get tested in compliance with the govt order

They included two Filipinas who were linked to the Indian returnee, and a third whose case was classified as “possibly local” because she had recently arrived from Manila, and was found to carry antibodies, suggesting an old infection. 

According to the government statement, from May 1 until 6pm on May 9, nearly 340 000 FDWs had been tested at 21 community testing centres (CTCs) and mobile specimen collection stations or submitted deep throat saliva specimen.

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 “Moreover, it is estimated that around 40,000 FDHs have received two doses of Covid-19 vaccine,” said the statement.

The government also defended the mandatory testing for FDHs, which had been assailed by migrant leaders as discriminatory. 

"For local cases with unknown sources of infection involving mutant strains, the Government has to be decisive in adopting swiftly stringent testing and quarantine measures, with an aim to cutting the transmission chains as soon as possible. Otherwise, the whole society will have to bear significant consequence when there is a major outbreak,” said the statement.

It also said that during free voluntary testing offered to FDHs between December last year until the end of February this year, only 34,000 took up the offer, or less than 10 percent of their total number.

The government’s announced plan of compelling all FDHs to submit proof of vaccination when applying for visa renewal has been withdrawn amid a public backlash.

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Indian man in variant outbreak faces new charge, denied bail

 By Vir B. Lumicao 

The accused inside a police van as  he arrived at Kowlon City Court  (SCMP photo)

An Indian engineer identified as the index patient in the recent spread of the coronavirus variant was told that he faces an additional charge of giving false information to an Immigration officer when he appeared in Kowloon City court today, May 10.

Syed Mohammed Rizvi, 29, appeared before Magistrate Ada Yim on a charge of lying to a medical officer when providing information about his whereabouts between leaving his hotel quarantine and being found to carry the variant on Apr 16.

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He was supposed to appear with his Filipina girlfriend, Victoria Marie A. Guadiz, 31, who is accused of failing to give information to an authorized officer, but she was reportedly taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital this morning with fever.

The prosecutor said Guadiz, a receptionist at a medical clinic in Central, could be discharged by Thursday. Yim said that in that case, the defendant should be called back to court on Friday so the charge could be read to her.

 

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The magistrate also ordered Rizvi remanded in custody until Jul 2, citing the severity of the charges against him, and his lack of family ties in Hong Kong. She took note of the prosecutor's statement that the defendant would be charged with the more serious immigration offense at the next hearing.

The prosecutor told the court that Rizvi arrived from Dubai on Mar 19 and was released from a 21-day quarantine on Apr 8. He then went to live with Guadiz in a flat in Parkes Building on Jordan Road.

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On Apr 16, he was found to carry a coronavirus variant. When interviewed by a nurse at the hospital where he was taken about his whereabouts on Apr 10-11, he reportedly said he just went around Jordan and Tsim Sha Tsui, as well as Cheung Chau.

On Apr 28, after a Filipina domestic worker in Tung Chung was found to carry a variant identical to his, Rizvi admitted he and Guadiz visited Citygate mall on Apr 11 and dined in a restaurant elsewhere in Tung Chung. They also went for a meal in Discovery Bay.

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Later it emerged that the pair had also been to several places, said the prosecutor. These included a visit to Tong Fuk village on Apr 10, after which they spent the night at Novotel hotel in Tung Chung.

“Further, they visited D2’s (Guadiz) family on Apr 13 for a gathering,” said the prosecutor.

The prosecutor said that they are considering laying further charges of giving false information to immigration officers “on each defendant.”

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Rizvi allegedly provided “false information about his contacts and whereabouts” when interviewed by an immigration officer. No further details were given but he was given a copy of the particulars of the charge.

In opposing bail, the prosecution said the defendant lacked local ties. Although a Hong Kong ID card holder, he is not a permanent resident and was merely visiting.

Thousands of people were tested in Tung Chung where 3 residents were infected with the variant  

She also said that because of Rizvi’s false information, more than 1,000 people residing in a housing block had to be sent to quarantine.

Eight people found to carry the South African variant had been linked to Rizvi, who is believed to have been infected during his 21-day quarantine at Ramada Grand in Tsim Sha Tsui.

The mini-cluster includes, apart from the two, the helper in Tung Chung, her employer and 10-month-old ward; two Filipina domestic helpers who attended a gathering hosted by Guadiz’s brother; as well as her mother.

More than 2,000 residents of at least four housing blocks were moved to quarantine centers until the direct link among the eight infections was uncovered.

Rizvi pleaded to be allowed bail, saying he had two uncles in Hong Kong with whom he could live while waiting for his next court appointment. He also promised to surrender his passport and report to police regularly if he is granted bail.

However, when Magistrate Yim asked him where he stayed after being released from hospital, Rizvi said he stayed with a friend in Jordan.

He said he always stayed with his uncles whenever he came to Hong Kong because they were his family, but he had to live in his friend’s flat in Jordan because he was planning to return to Dubai and had left his luggage there.

The prosecution said police are still making further enquiry and applied to obtain CCTV footages from the shops that Rizvi and his girlfriend visited.

Rizvi said he needs a lawyer but Yim replied he does not qualify for the Duty Lawyer Service so he would need to find a private counsel.

The magistrate set the trial from Jul 2 to 7 and told the defendant to engage a lawyer.

Yim also told Rizvi he could apply for bail again on May 18, during his bail review in the same court. Alternatively he could file a bail application at the Court of First Instance.

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Testing sites near-empty on last day of mandatory Covid-19 tests for FDHs

By Vir B. Lumicao 

Hardly anyone turned up to get tested on Chater Garden

An expected last-minute rush by migrant domestic workers to submit to mandatory Covid-19 tests did not happen at designated mobile testing centers today, May 9, perplexing both workers’ groups and health staff.

By 11 am, the testing centers at Chater Garden and Edinburgh Place in Central and at Victoria Park in Causeway Bay looked deserted as only a few workers were seen going up to the long line of tents for pre-swab registration or testing.

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Staff manning the testing site at Edinburgh Place said they opened at 8am but didn’t encounter a deluge of workers going for the test similar to what they faced the previous Sunday, May 2.

A few people came by at the Edinburgh mobile testing site, but many were non-FDHs

The same thing happened at Chater Garden, where the mobile testing van was moved after initially setting up on nearby Chater Road.  

Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung said in his blog today that a majority of the helpers had complied with the test order.

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He said that as of May 7, the number of those who had been tested had gone up to 280,000 while 50,000 more had booked appointments at CTCs. That meant that only about 40,000 more should have gone for tests during the weekend. 

Given that 52,000 FDWs were recorded to have received tests on May 2 alone, testing the remaining number of people should have been achievable.

The Victoria Park testing station dedicated to FDHs was near-empty

But Dolores Balladares, chair of the United Filipinos in Hong Kong and spokesperson of Asian Migrants Coordinating Body, said this did not explain the very poor turnout on the last day of mandatory testing.

“The low turnout is worrying because, if we go by the government’s estimate that more than 200,000 domestic workers have already been tested and about 100,000 have booked online, then we should be expecting about 50,000 today,” said Balladares.

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She said her group is concerned because those who failed to beat the deadline could be issued with a fixed penalty ticket costing $5,000 each.

Even if employers are obliged to pay the fine, any friction that could arise because of this could result in the worker shelling out the money just to keep her job, she said.

Balladares says AMCB remains opposed to mandatory tests and jabs

A possibility that Balladares did not discount was that some workers had opted to collect a sample bottle from the MTR or the post office and submitted their specimen during the weekend at collection stations in anticipation of the rush.

A number would have also been exempted from the test order because they had been fully vaccinated, meaning they had their second dose of the Covid vaccine on or before Apr 25.

 

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The migrant support group had solicited donations from various individuals and groups which they used to buy bottles of water and biscuits, in anticipation of the thousands of workers who they thought would line up at the testing centers.

The previous Sunday and several days afterwards, hundreds of FDWs had queued up for hours outside testing stations in a bid to beat the deadline for the compulsory tests.

Cartons of bottled water were given away to bystanders at end of the day

Balladares said 94 boxes of bottled water were bought from donations and stacked on Chater Road and distributed in Edinburgh Place, Tamar Park  and Victoria Park “to give a little comfort from the heat of the sun or rain” to the expected crowd.

But by early afternoon there were hardly any workers waiting to get tested that the bottled water meant for the testing applicants ended up being given away to people hanging out in surrounding areas.

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AMCB also set up tables on Chater Road to provide information and free blood pressure readings while some volunteers went around handing out leaflets and water, and reminded workers that it was the last day for the tests.

Balladares said the AMCB maintains its opposition to mandatory testing and vaccination for the migrant domestic workers because the policy targets the workers as a community group whereas everyone in Hong Kong is equally exposed to the virus.

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She said the group still wants a public apology from Labor Secretary Law Chi-kwong for discriminating against the migrant domestic workers by proposing compulsory jabs for them.

Earlier today, the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions called a press conference to announce their opposition to mandatory testing and vaccination of migrant domestic workers, said Balladares, who was invited to the meeting along with other workers’ group leaders.

She said the HKCTU instead advocated mandatory testing and vaccination for all migrants in Hong Kong, including the thousands of asylum-seekers who are not covered by the policy and could not afford to pay for their own testing and jobs.

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