Consulate sets another special flight for stranded migrants on Jun 28

By Daisy CL Mandap 

About 400 stranded workers managed to get home recently on 2 flights arranged by the PCG

Filipino migrant workers stranded in Hong Kong due to repeated flight cancellations could get home to Manila on Jun 28, through another special trip being arranged by the Consulate.

Consul General Raly Tejada personally informed The SUN about the special flight, saying he wants to get all the stranded Filipino workers home.

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As of this afternoon (June 24), ConGen Tejada said there were still 20 available seats on the flight. Those who wish to get a slot should register through the website of the Philippine Overseas Labour Office: https://polo-hongkong.com/registrationofstrandedofw.html?fbclid=IwAR0SEjDq1iMjJqQNny01TxntoBYMtDRVkfMI0NT0iDM11huPLq8mAoStWgU

Asked if those who don’t have any valid plane ticket could avail of the airlift, ConGen said, “We will try to assist. Basta palista muna sila.” (They should just sign up first)

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However, he said the Consulate was still working on which airline could fly the stranded passengers home.

Last year, more than 1,200 stranded passengers were flown to Manila on several flights by Cathay Pacific Airways, through special arrangements with the Consulate.

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On May 26 and Jun 1 this year, another 400 stranded overseas workers were able to fly home aboard two separate Philippine Airlines flights to Manila, despite difficulties caused by the arrival cap being set at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

To enable the airline to bring them home, the Consulate, through the Department of Foreign Affairs, had to ask the Philippines’ Inter-Agency Task Force on Covid control to increase the daily passenger arrival quota at the Manila aiport.

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Since Mar 18 this year, the IATF has set a daily quota of just 1,500 for all arrivals at NAIA, saying there was a need to decongest quarantine facilities in the capital. Several airlines have given this as reason for repeatedly canceling flights to the Manila.

With the hotel quarantine in Manila having been extended recently to 10 days instead of the previous seven, the space limitations at the designated facilities have become even more severe. And, with the dreaded Delta variant being increasingly found among returning Filipino workers, the entry restrictions have been tightened further.

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But these have not deterred a number of OFWs from hoping they could go home for good soon.

Many of the passengers carry this letter from Immigration showing their application for work visa was denied

Among those hoping to get a seat on the Jun 28 flight is Yumi, who has been stranded since March, after her bid to process a new employment contract in Hong Kong was rejected by Immigration.

Yumi confessed to having been too confident that she could secure a new work visa while in Hong Kong that she let the return air ticket given her by her previous employer lapse. She learned way too late that she should have just rebooked it so she could still fly home in case the unexpected happened.

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Now, Yumi says she has just been relying on the generosity of friends for her daily meals, and for money to pay for her visa extension fee. She is already a month behind in her payment for her boarding space, so buying a new one-way ticket to Manila, which costs about $2,500, is out of the picture.

But with her new visa deadline looming, Yumi has finally found light at the end of the tunnel. OWWA has assured her that they would find a way to get her on board the Jun 28 flight, so all she could do now is cross her fingers, and wait.

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Filipina co-accused in $14.6M jewelry theft granted bail

By The SUN 

Biala's case of handling $4.8 million worth of stolen property is being heard in District Court 

A sister of the Filipina helper who admitted stealing $14.6 million worth of jewelry from her wealthy employers in Deepwater Bay was granted $20,000 bail today, Jun 24, in District Court.

Marina G. Biala was allowed to post $10,000 cash bail and another $10,000 in surety by Judge W.K. Kwok, who ignored the prosecution’s objections that the case was serious and there was a risk that she would abscond. 

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It was her first appearance in the District Court after pleading not guilty to a charge of handling $4.8 million worth of assorted jewelry, gold bars and cash that her sister, Carmelita Nones, had entrusted to her.

The goods were part of the $14.6 million loot that Nones had admitted stealing from her former employers between May 2018 and September 2019. All of the stolen items passed on to Biala have been recovered except for $4,000 cash.

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Nones will be sentenced at the High Court next month, along with two other relatives who also pleaded guilty to pawning some of the items she stole from her employer.

Biala told Judge Kwok this morning that she did not know that the valuables were stolen by her sister, contrary to the prosecution’s allegation.

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She also offered to post $20,000 bail which she said would be provided by her former employer, and that she would also stay in his home.

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When Judge Kwok called the employer, a “Mr Leung,” and asked him if he would put up a surety of $20,000, the man said he would provide Biala’s bail money.

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The judge said the court normally does not allow that because, without putting up her own money for bail, the defendant won’t hesitate to abscond, as she won’t lose any money.

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Judge Kwok suggested that Leung lend Biala $10,000 for her cash bail and he put up $10,000 in surety so that the defendant will owe him money and he can chase her if she absconds. The man agreed.    

The judge set the next hearing for Aug 5. 

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6 new imported & 1 local case all have Delta variant

By Daisy CL Mandap 

HK officials warn of the spread of the Delta variant, as 1 local case was confirmed today

Hong Kong health officials underscored the danger that the Delta coronavirus variant, could spread in the city when they announced at a press conference today, Jun 24, that all seven confirmed Covid-19 cases today carried the highly infectious mutation.

Among those in the list is a 27-year-old man living in Tai Po and worked as ground crew of Hong Kong Airlines, whose source of infection is unknown. He ended 16 days of no local infection being found in Hong Kong.

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But according to Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection, the remaining six cases which are all imported, were also found to have the L542R strain of the Delta variant.

Chuang said four of the patients are students who had just returned from the United Kingdom. Three tested positive on arrival at HK Airport, while the fourth who came in on Jun 18 via British Airways flight was found infected on the third-day sample.

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The two others are foreign domestic helpers who flew in from Jakarta on Jun 20 and tested positive on their third-day sample while in quarantine.

Passenger flights from Indonesia will be banned starting tomorrow after six FDHs who flew in from Jakarta on Monday were found to have the L452R mutant strain. Experts are also calling for halting flights from the UK anew, amid a renewed surge in infections in the country, largely because of the Delta variant.

Studies show BioNTech vaccine offers as much as 90% protection against the Delta variant

“The Delta variant is on the rise, and the World Health Organization says it may catch up and take over as the main variant (of concern),” said CHP controller Dr Ronald Lam.

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He said the variant is more transmissible and is likely to cause more serious complications. “Based on the UK experience, young and unvaccinated people are infected more easily,” he said.

The same is true in the United States, he said, where the variant is also on the rise because of its higher transmissibility.

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In Hong Kong, there have been 131 cases with the L452R strain, and all except two are imported, he said. The genome sequencing on the latest local case could trace its origin, but the process has yet to be completed.

Lam renewed the call for everyone to get the Covid vaccine, citing various studies that show that those who get jabbed are likely to get as much as 90% protection from the variant.

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Chuang said studies in the UK showed that BioNTech in particular gives protection against Delta “by as high as 91%,” while those with symptoms are found to get a protection rate of between 80 and 90%.

Lam took the opportunity to again call for more elderly people to get vaccinated, saying they are most vulnerable to developing symptoms from Covid-19. Of the 210 deaths linked to the disease, 88% percent reportedly involved people aged 60 and above.

He said that any elderly person who can take a flu jab should also be suitable for the Covid vaccine.

In the latest local case involving the Delta variant, health officials said he, along with the rest of his family, have not had a Covid vaccine.

But so far, no other member of his family has tested positive for the virus, including his father who developed a mild cough.

More than 2,000 neighbors of the local man with the variant tested negative for the virus 

An overnight lockdown on their residential building in Tai Po and the testing of some 2,100 residents did not yield any new infection.

A separate compulsory testing order issued on a wide area in Tai Po where around 30 buildings are located has yet to be completed.

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Samuel Chui, deputy director of the Environmental Planning Department, said that sewage samples taken from the area showed the presence of the variant with a CT value of 27, which means it is highly transmissible.

Chui said the local patient who lives in the same district did not appear to have acquired the variant from the contaminated sewage, but from other sources.

Chuang said he most likely got the virus from his interactions with people at the airport, although the exact source has yet to be uncovered.

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HK health officials say they're investigating a Tai Po resident with mutant strain

By The SUN 

The patient works as ground staff at HK Airport but did not travel recently

Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection confirmed tonight, Jun 23, that it is investigating the case of a 27-year-old man from Tai Po who tested preliminary positive for the L451R mutant strain of the coronavirus.

The source of his infection is unknown.

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The CHP statement said the man lives at Wan Hang House in Wan Tau Tong Estate in Tai Po. He has no recent travel history but works as an airline ground crew staff at the Hong Kong International Airport, where he received cargo flight crews.

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He developed symptoms including fever, sore throat and cough on Jun 21 and consulted a private doctor on the same day. He submitted a deep throat saliva sample which today tested preliminary positive for the coronavirus with the L452R mutant strain.

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He has not received any Covid-19 vaccine. The patient last went to work at the airport on Jun 26. He also worked parttime as a customer service staff at Uptown Plaza in Tai Po, where he last worked on Jun 22.

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The CHP said a compulsory testing notice will be issued for the building where he lives, his workplaces, and the places he visited during the incubation period.

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A separate CTN was issued earlier over a wide swathe of places in Tai Po after sewage samples found in the area reportedly tested for the coronavirus, “with a heavy viral load.” 

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HK bans all passenger flights from Indonesia

By Daisy CL Mandap 

HK imposed the ban after 6 Indonesian DHs arrived yesterday with the variant

Hong Kong tonight imposed a ban on all passenger flights from Indonesia, which will take effect from Friday, Jun 25.

A statement released by the government said that the ban was imposed after imported cases from Indonesia reached the threshold imposed by Hong Kong on all arriving passengers from abroad. found to carry a mutated strain of the coronavirus.

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The move elevated Indonesia to the Group A1 category, or the “extremely high risk” places to which six other countries are included: India, Pakistan, Nepal, South African, Brazil and the Philippines.

Under the place-specific flight suspension mechanism announced by Hong Kong on May 4, if a total of five or more passengers from the same place were confirmed by arrival tests for Covid-19 with any of the N501Y mutant strains within a seven-day period, the ban is triggered.

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A place-specific ban will also be imposed if a total of 10 or more passengers from the same country are confirmed to have the mutant strain by any tests, including during quarantine, within the same week-long period.

On Monday, six Indonesian domestic helpers aboard the Indonesian flag carrier, Garuda Airlines, were found positive for Covid-19 shortly after arriving in Hong Kong. 

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Four tested positive on arrival test, and were also found to carry the variant. The two others were found infected on the same day after being taken to Penny's Bay quarantine center. Staff at the Centre for Health Protection said earlier today confirmatory tests on the two were still being carried out.

The announcement today indicates at least one or both of the two remaining passengers were found to have the mutant strain.

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Garuda was also suspended from flying to Hong Kong for two weeks starting from today in line with flight-specific restrictions which is triggered when at least three passengers from any flight test positive for Covid-19 on arrival.

Earlier today, another Indonesian DH was also found to carry the same mutant strain, two days after arriving aboard a Cathay Pacific plane from Surabaya.

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Indonesia has been experiencing a surge in coronavirus infections, with 14,535 cases being recorded on Monday, the country's highest one-day total. The country has the third-highest number of cases in Asia after India and Iran.

Despite this, Hong Kong relegated it first, to the "high risk" category, which allowed passengers from the country to quarantine for only 14 days if vaccinated. Then, just eight days ago, it was downgraded to the "very high risk" group, along with Ireland, which requires a 21-day hotel quarantine for anyone arriving in Hong Kong from there, regardless of whether they have been vaccinated or not.

Details on the grouping of specified places and their respective boarding and compulsory quarantine requirements can be found at www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/high-risk-places.html.            

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Tai Po residents told to get tested after sewage found with ‘heavy viral load’

By The SUN

All the areas inside the red mark in Tai Po have been put under compulsory testing notice

Hong Kong’s 16 days of no local cases of Covid-19 appears likely to end, with the reported discovery of an infected local man, and the high viral load found in sewage samples collected from the area near his house in Tai Po.

Without confirming the report about the person testing preliminary positive for Covid-19, the government issued a statement earlier today, Jun 23, saying a compulsory testing notice (CTC) has been issued over a large swathe of Tai Po.

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“Since the sewage samples collected in a specified area in Tai Po (see Annex) have tested positive, and a very high viral load is detected in these samples, all buildings and structures (except buildings or structures without any domestic uses) within the area are covered by the compulsory testing notice today (June 23),” said the statement.

The attached map shows that at least eight residential estates or areas are included in the testing order: Classical Gardens, Dynasty View, Grand Dynasty View, The Balmoral, Yat Nga Court, King Nga Court, Tuk Nga Court, and Ha Wun Yiu village.

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The CTC requires anyone who had been present at any of the buildings or structures (except those not used as residences) for more than two hours at any time between Jun 20-23, including residents, visitors and workers, must undergo testing by Jun 25.

According to media reports, about five preliminary positive cases were recorded today, and they include a patient his 20s who lives in the affected area in Tai Po. Tests are still being carried out to find out if he has one of the highly infectious variants.

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However, staff at the Centre for Health Protection declined to confirm the report immediately, saying they were still investigating.

If confirmed, this will be the first local case to be reported in Hong Kong since Jun 7, when a 20-year-old student living in Tin Shui Wai was found infected with a rare strain of the Alpha variant of the coronavirus.

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The variant was first detected in her younger sister, who also passed it on to their mother. The source of their infection remains unknown.

For those issued with a CTC in Tai Po today, here are the places where they can have the Covid test, with the corresponding times of operation: 

Locations	Opening dates and hours
Open area outside Block A (Yat Wing House), Yat Nga Court	June 23  5pm to 8pm June 24 to 25  10am to 8pm
Tai Po Market Station Public Transport Interchange
Ma Wo Road Garden

 

A mobile testing station will be set up outside the Tai Po Market MTR station from tomorrow

In addition, the community testing center at Tai Wo Sports Centre in Tai Po will also extend operation to June 25 (Friday).

 

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Anyone who is ordered to undergo a test may choose any of the following routes:

1. To visit any of the mobile specimen collection stations (see the list and target groups (if applicable) at www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/early-testing.html) for testing;

2. To attend any of the CTCs (see the list at www.communitytest.gov.hk/en);

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3. To obtain a deep throat saliva specimen collection pack from any of the 121 post offices, vending machines set up at 20 MTR stations or 47 designated general outpatient clinics (GOPCs) of the Hospital Authority and return the specimen to one of the designated specimen collection points (see the distribution points and times, and the specimen collection points and times, at www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/early-testing.html);

4. To undergo testing at any of the GOPCs of the Hospital Authority as instructed by a medical professional of the Hospital Authority;

5. To self-arrange testing provided by private laboratories which are recognised by the DH and can issue SMS notifications in respect of test results (see the list at www.coronavirus.gov.hk/pdf/List_of_recognised_laboratories_RTPCR.pdf); or

6. To use a specimen bottle distributed to the relevant specified premises by the CHP (if applicable), and return the specimen bottle with the sample collected as per relevant guidelines.

Any enquiries on compulsory testing arrangements may be addressed to the hotline at 6275 6901, which operates daily from 9am to 6pm. CTCs may also be contacted through their hotlines listed here: www.communitytest.gov.hk/en/info.

Anyone found to have violated a CTN is liable to pay a fixed penalty of $5,000. The person would also be ordered to undergo testing within a specified period. Failure to comply with the order could result in the offender being fined up to $25,000 and jailed for up to six months.

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