Labour chief says HK remains closed to Mainland helpers

By Vir B. Lumicao 

Law says Mainland DHs can't be allowed in because of immigration and security concerns (File)

Hong Kong has no plans to open its gates to mainland domestic helpers and allow them to fill the supply gap caused by pandemic-related entry restrictions, including a flight ban on the Philippines.

Labour and Welfare Secretary Law Chi-kwong said so in answer to a query by pro-Beijing Legislator Starry Lee in the Legislative Council yesterday, June 9, on what the government is doing to help families that are desperately in need of FDHs.

Lee said that because of travel and quarantine restrictions, the daily arrival of FDHs in Hong Kong has fallen significantly. As a result, a number of families have been unable to hire FDHs and wages for helpers have surged, she said.

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She added that there are those who believe importing Mainland domestic helpers, or MDHs, may alleviate the problem. By importing MDHs , she said the elderly may receive better care because there will be no language barrier with the carer.

Lee made reference to Macau’s practice of importing MDHs, and suggested that Hong Kong may do the same “so that a certain number of MDHs may be imported under a pilot scheme.”

But Law rejected the suggestion, citing immigration and security considerations as the reason for not allowing Chinese residents of the Mainland, Macau and Taiwan, as well as Afghan, Cuban, Laotian, North Korean, Nepalese and Vietnamese to work as helpers in Hong Kong.

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“The government has no plan to make changes. Save from the above, the government has not imposed any restrictions on, nor does it promote the employment of FDHs of, any particular nationalities,” Law said.

He said employers may, depending on individual needs, be allowed to hire FDHs from any countries and regions other than those specified above.”

He cited in particular Hong Kong’s decision in March 2017 to allow Cambodian domestic helpers to come and work in the city.

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Figures provided by the Immigration Department showed that between April and May this year, the number of Filipino helpers in Hong Kong fell by 1.4% to 204,152, mainly due to the flight ban on the Philippines and other “extremely high-risk” places.

But even without a similar flight ban on Indonesia, the FDHs coming in from the country also fell 1.5% to 152,810 in May.

Filipinos and Indonesians make up about 97.5 % of the 366,000 total FDH population.     

Law says Immigration is speeding up processing of employment contracts to fill the shortage 

As part of the bid to ease the problems with FDH shortage, Law said Labour will continue “to keep in contact with the governments of FDH source countries and their consulates general in Hong Kong to encourage their nationals to come to work as FDHs in Hong Kong.”

He added the government has tried its best to help FDHs and their employers cope with the coronavirus pandemic, including allowing the extension of employment contracts for up to three months, and further extending the time when helpers may defer their return home.

He said in January-May 2020, the Immigration Department approved close to 190,000 employment visas for FDHs and over 150,000 for the same period this year.

These include visa applications from FDHs renewing contracts with the same employer, extending the validity of their employment contracts, or postponing their return home.

Because of the pandemic, Immigration also approved around 23,000 applications for change of employers by FDHs dismissed prematurely between May last year and May this year.

Law said that because Immigration understands the need of local families for FDHs amid the pandemic it has been expediting the processing of new applications so that FDHs could report for duty in Hong Kong as soon as possible. This practice will continue.

In the meantime, local families who need helpers urgently could consider hiring from among local workers who have undergone training for domestic work provided by the Employees Retraining Board.

From January to May this year alone, Labour’s Interactive Employment Service website has posted more than 1,200 local domestic helper positions, most of them part-time positions.

In addition, employers of FDHs who are unable to come or return to Hong Kong due to the travel restrictions may make use of the contract extension or home leave deferment offered by Immigration “to allow their current FDHs to (remain) in Hong Kong to take care of the elderly in the household,” Law said.

He said the Social Welfare Department has been providing training to FDHs so they can better take care of elderly persons.\

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Quarantine period for vaccinated travelers may be cut to 7 days

By Daisy CL Mandap 

Travelers from 'medium' to 'high risk' countries could benefit from the shortened quarantine

An expert panel advising the government on its Covid-19 vaccination program has recommended that the quarantine period for vaccinated travelers entering Hong Kong, except for those coming from “extremely high-risk” to “very high risk” countries may be cut down to seven days.

Speaking at a news conference late on Wednesday, the experts said that apart from being fully vaccinated, the travelers must also test negative for Covid-19 on arrival, and positive for antibodies in a separate test. They should also present their inoculation records.

At present, the 7-day quarantine is only allowed for vaccinated travelers coming from Australia and New Zealand, designated as “low-risk countries.”

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Controller for Centre for Health Protection Dr Ronald Lam said, “The shortened quarantine period for vaccinated travelers is in response to the scientific evidence.”

But Lam was quick to add that the quarantine period for those coming from “very-high risk” (Ireland) or “extremely high-risk” places (Philippines, India, Pakistan, Nepal, South Africa and Brazil) should remain at 21 days, whether or not they are fully vaccinated.

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However, current restrictions bar anyone who has stayed for at least two hours in the last 21 days in “extremely-high risk” countries from entering Hong Kong.

Lam said special facilities to collect blood samples would be set up at the airport for the antibody tests. But he said that despite the shortened quarantine period, others measures would be taken to prevent imported Covid-19 cases leaking into the community.

New arrivals should also test positive for antibodies to qualify for the shortened quarantine

Travelers who benefit from the shortened quarantine will have to be tested multiple times during their isolation, and then required to undergo self-monitoring for another seven days afterwards.

Those who will likely benefit from the new shortened quarantine period are travelers from those designated as "medium" or "high-risk" countries.

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Countries currently designated as “high risk” are: Argentina, Bangladesh, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Romania, Russia, Singapore, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and Vietnam.

All other countries not in any of the high risk categories are classified as medium risk.

As for the kind of Covid vaccines that would be accepted for lowering the quarantine period for inbound travelers, the group said that apart from the vaccines already recognized in Hong Kong, those approved by the World Health Organization for emergency use or by stringent regulatory agencies (like Sputnik) will be accepted.

The panel also said it supported the decision to lower the minimum age for taking the BioNTech vaccine to 12 from 16. Lam said vaccinations for adolescents would start this month.

The experts also updated guidelines for elderly people receiving coronavirus vaccines in a bid to boost the vaccination rate. They said it's safe for elderly people who have taken flu shots in the past to get vaccinated against Covid-19, except the extremely frail ones.

On the question of whether it is acceptable to use different types of vaccines for the first and second dose, the experts said there is still limited evidence on the effects of mixed vaccinations and further studies are needed. Thus, members of the public are advised to stick to the same product when possible.

But in exceptional cases such as when a person suffers from extreme allergic reactions to the first vaccine, or if it is no longer available or inaccessible, vaccination with another product may be considered.

Details of the interim recommendation will be available at the CHP’s website:  www.chp.gov.hk/en/static/24008.html.

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Inoculated HK man among 4 imported Covid-19 cases

By Daisy CL Mandap

Today's imported case was among the first to get the Sinovac jabs in Hong Kong 

A Hong Kong resident who had two jabs of the Sinovac vaccine before flying overseas is one of four imported Covid-19 cases reported today, Jun 9.

The 32-year-old man flew in from Lebanon on Jun 5 and developed symptoms the next day while in quarantine at Best Western Plus Hotel in Sai Ying Pun. He tested positive on his third-day sample on Jun 7.

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According to staff of the Centre for Health Protection, the patient had received his Sinovac shots on Apr 3 and May 1 in Hong Kong. No coronavirus variant was detected in his sample.

Of the three other imported cases only one was found to carry the N501Y variant, a foreign domestic helper from Sri Lanka.

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The 49-year-old woman flew in on Jun 5 and was found infected with Covid-19 on her third-day sample while in quarantine at Ramada Seaview Hotel in Sai Ying Pun.

Another case involves a 42-year-old Indonesian domestic worker who also tested positive on her third-day sample while quarantined at Ramada Sai Ying Pun.

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The last case pertains to a 22-year-old male resident who returned from Austria, whose test result for the presence of a mutant virus is still pending.

All 850 residents of the Tin Shui Wai block where the variant carriers live tested negative

There has been no new update on the recent case of a mother and her two daughters who were found to carry the more infectious variant first found in the United Kingdom, when they did not travel abroad recently.

The source of their infection is still being investigated, although Chief Executive Carrie Lam said yesterday it could have only come from an imported case as Hong Kong has no history of the mutant virus spreading locally.

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Including the three local cases, the city has recorded a total of 33 cases in the past 14 days. Hong Kong’s total Covid-19 tally now stands at 11,872.

Because of the variant spread, CE Lam said it was “not appropriate” to relax the social distancing rules just yet.

A government statement issued early this morning said the restrictions against the gathering of more than people in public will remain in force for another two weeks, or until Jun 23.

The rules for dine-in at restaurants and bars, including the number of people who can sit together at tables and how long they can stay depending on whether they are vaccinated or not, will likewise be extended.

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Sister of Filipina DH who stole $14.6 million jewels to stand trial

By Vir B. Lumicao 

Two expensive pieces of jewelry recovered from a pawnshop by Mrs Liang

The case against a fourth defendant in the $14.6 million jewelry theft by a Filipina domestic helper against her wealthy employers was transferred today, Jun 9, to the District Court for trial.

Marina G. Biala appeared before Magistrate Peter Law for her transfer hearing two days after she pleaded not guilty to a charge of handling stolen goods. She was told to appear for her first hearing in District Court on Jun 24. Her application for bail was rejected.

Also on Monday, her sister, Carmelita G. Nones, pleaded guilty to six counts of theft committed between Jun 3, 2018 and Sept 4, 2019.

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Two other accused, Maricris Nones (niece of Carmelita and Biala) and Cristina Alagna (their cousin) admitted a total of 10 charges between them relating to the handling or pawning of the stolen jewelry.

The case against the three will be transferred to the High Court for sentencing at a date to be announced.

In an amended charge read to her this morning, Biala is accused of helping handle and keeping stolen property consisting of 15 necklaces, 5 pendants, 4 bangles, 13 pairs of earrings, 1 earring, 1 brooch, 4 necklaces with pendants, 4 watches, $4,000, 1 gold bar and 1 gold coin, all belonging to Helen Frances Liang.

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The prosecution alleged that Biala kept the goods despite knowing that they were stolen property. But the day after Nones was arrested on Sept 4, 2019, Biala returned the bag to Mrs Liang.

The lawyer who represented Biala applied for $40,000 bail on her behalf, but Law rejected the request, citing the seriousness of the offence and the defendant’s lack of local ties. 

The lawyer said Biala's Caucasian employer, who was in court and had been attending her previous hearings, was willing to continue employing Biala and let the defendant use his address for her bail application.  

But Law ignored the offer and ordered Biala remanded in custody until the hearing of her case in District Court.

Carmelita's theft was discovered only after police found 25 pawn receipts in her name

Police uncovered what is so far the biggest theft committed by a foreign domestic helper against her employers in July 2019 while doing their regular checking of records of Hong Kong pawnshops, according to court documents.

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The officers found out that Nones had 25 pawn receipts in two pawnshops. These were apart from the receipts recovered from Maricris and Alagna.

The Liangs were not aware of what was going on until they were visited by the officers, who reported to them Carmelita’s suspicious dealings with the pawnshops.

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The couple confirmed their ownership of the pawned items found by the police in the pawnshops and denied they had given those jewelry pieces to their helper.

On the same day, Liang discovered that a matching pair of Piaget watches he bought for himself and his wife for $200,000 had gone missing, and called the police.

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Cancer survivor fined $1,200 for stealing shirts, sandals & wet wipes

By Vir B. Lumicao 

All 3 cases were heard at Eastern Court today

A 55-year-old Filipina domestic helper and cancer survivor who admitted stealing four white T-shirts, a pair of sandals and six packs of wet wipes from a fashion shop in Causeway Bay, was fined $1,200 today, Jun 8, for the offense.

V. Iniego, who said she has been working in Hong Kong for 34 years, was charged with theft after a security staff at H&M store at Hang Lung Centre on Paterson St caught her leaving without paying for the merchandise. The value of the goods wasn’t mentioned.

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The prosecution said the woman arrived at the store at 5:37pm on May 25, went around the shop, took the goods and placed them in her recyclable bag. When she left without paying at 6:15pm, the guard stopped her, inspected her bag and saw the unpaid items.

Police were called and the woman was arrested. During questioning, she admitted she stole the items out of greed.

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In mitigation, the defense lawyer said his client has been a helper in Hong Kong for 34 years and this was her first offense. He said she was a cancer survivor who was undergoing chemotherapy at Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital.

The lawyer begged for leniency, saying his client was afraid that if her employer found out about her case, she would fire her.

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Easter Magistrate Peter Law ordered the woman to pay a fine, partly to be taken from her $500 bail.  

Filipino stabbing case moved to DC

Also at Eastern Court, the magistrate ordered the transfer to District Court of the case of Mark Gregor Baldomaro, a domestic worker accused of stabbing two fellow Filipino drivers in Central early this year.

 

Before this, the prosecution amended the charge against  Baldomaro to “wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm” from simple wounding.

The defendant has been held without bail since the attacks on Tirso Fernandez Jr and Reginald M. Aguilar at around 6:30pm on Jan 30, near the toilet in Edinburgh Place.

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He will appear in District Court on Jun 29.

DNA result of aborted baby still pending

Police investigating a Filipina helper who allegedly took a pill to procure her own miscarriage in March are awaiting a DNA report on the dead baby, the Eastern Court was told today, Jun 8.

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Defendant B. Camarillo, 30, appeared calm as the prosecutor asked Magistrate Peter Law to adjourn the case until Aug 3. The prosecution said earlier the helper used poison (abortion pill) to abort the baby on Mar 13.

She was arrested and sent to hospital the next day after her employer called the police on seeing the mess in the bathroom of her flat in Harbour Heights, North Point.

The defendant has been held without bail since.

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CE Lam says gathering rules can't be relaxed because of variant cases

By Daisy CL Mandap 

CE Lam says it is not right to relax restrictions because of the 3 variant cases with unknown source 

Chief Executive Carrie Lam has dashed hopes that stringent gathering restrictions which are due to lapse on Thursday will be relaxed, citing the recent case of a mother and two of her daughters found to be carrying the more infectious coronavirus variant.

Speaking ahead of the Executive Council meeting earlier today, Jun 8, the CE said “it does not seem to be the appropriate time to relax the social distancing measures.”

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Lam added further details will be announced by the Secretary of Food and Health later.

She made the announcement a few hours before the Centre for Health Protection announced three new Covid-19 cases, all of them imported.

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Two are returning residents from Colombia and both tested positive for N501Y variant on arrival in Hong Kong on Jun 6 aboard flight KL 819. One is a 19-year-old male and the other is a 22-year-old female.

The third is a 42-year-old domestic helper from Indonesia who tested positive on her third-day sample while in hotel quarantine. She does not carry a variant.

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The Chief Executive said it was unfortunate that Hong Kong’s record of 30 days without a case with unknown source was broken when a 17-year-old girl who does not have a recent travel history was found to carry the N501Y variant last Friday.

On two successive days afterwards, her mother and older sister were also found infected with the so-called Alpha variant first found in the United Kingdom.

Until their infections were discovered, the UK variant was never seen in any local case.

Lam said that since Hong Kong has never been identified as the source of a variant, then the source of their infection must have been an imported case that was not detected on time.

The CE said 140 of the three patients’ close contacts have been moved to quarantine, while 850 of their fellow residents in a Tin Shui Wai Building were placed under a lockdown and tested.

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A total of 32 places they had visited have been put under compulsory testing notice.

The three patients have not been vaccinated so they exposed themselves and all the people around them to the risk of catching the highly infectious variant, said the CE, who then renewed an appeal for all residents to get the coronavirus vaccine.

The CE says the variant cases must have an imported source 

“What we have to do is to get vaccinated. Only when we have achieved herd immunity (can) we tackle these what may be inevitably missed imported cases,” Lam said.

She said the latest figures show that 1.55 million, or nearly 24% of all residents eligible to take the jab have taken their first dose.

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“The number is increasing, so this is good,” she said adding that she hopes that by the end of August (when the community vaccination centres are due to close), there would have been a “more desirable percentage” of people who have taken the jab.

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