Employers of FDHs from Phl & Indo to each pay $16.8k for quarantine

 By Daisy CL Mandap 

FDHs vaccinated in the Philippines and Indonesia may start coming in on Monday

Hong Kong has officially confirmed that foreign domestic helpers who were fully vaccinated in Indonesia or the Philippines may start coming in from Monday, Aug 30.

However, they will have to fight for space, at least initially, in the 409-room Silka hotel in Tsuen Wan, for which their employers will each have to pay $16,800 for their 21-day quarantine. 

Previously, budget quarantine hotels such as Silka offered as low as $300-$500 per night for arriving travelers in Hong Kong.

In a statement released earlier today, the Hong Kong government said it has reached agreements with the Philippines and Indonesia on a bilateral recognition of vaccination records.

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“Starting on August 30, FDHs who were fully vaccinated in these two countries may come to work in Hong Kong. They must present a vaccination record that has been affirmed by the relevant authorities of these two countries and undergo compulsory quarantine in a designated quarantine facility (DQF) after arriving in Hong Kong."

Attached to the statement are the recognized vaccination records, the so-called yellow card issued by the Bureau of Quarantine in the Philippines: https://gia.info.gov.hk/general/202108/26/P2021082600265_375231_1_1629950891183.pdf),

Only this yellow card will be accepted for entry by those who were jabbed in Phl

and a blue-colored one issued by the Ministry of Health of Indonesia (https://gia.info.gov.hk/general/202108/26/P2021082600265_375230_1_1629950891177.pdf)

The statement also confirmed Silka hotel in Tsuen Wan as the only DQH for the arriving FDHs, and stating its daily full-board rate as $800 per day. (https://gia.info.gov.hk/general/202108/26/P2021082600265_375232_1_1629950891205.pdf)

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To ensure a smooth passage to Hong Kong, all FDHs fully vaccinated from the Philippines and Indonesia must present the following documents before boarding their flights: 

(a)    a recognised vaccination record issued by the Indonesian or Philippine authorities. Records in other formats will not be accepted; 

(b)   a valid employment visa for FDHs issued by the Immigration Department of Hong Kong;

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(c)    negative result proof of a polymerase chain reaction-based nucleic acid test (RT-PCR) for Covid-19 specimen collected within 72 hours before the scheduled time of departure, and 

(d) confirmation of room reservation at a DQF for not less than 21 nights starting from the day of arrival in Hong Kong.

The statement also said that to ensure that the entry of the workers is resumed in a gradual and orderly manner, only one DQF has been assigned for use by the qualified workers for now.

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However, “depending on demand and developments of the pandemic, the government plans to gradually increase the number of DQF rooms in the future,” said the statement.

Silka Tsuen Wan is the only designated quarantine for FDHs so far

It also instructed employers and employment agencies to reserve rooms for the FDHs through email (info.tsuenwan@silkahotels.com) starting tomorrow, Aug 27.

“The hotel will adjust the number of rooms open for reservation each day having regard to the overall booking situation. The hotel will confirm with the persons making the reservation individually and arrange for them to complete the relevant procedures upon receipt of their bookings,” added the statement.

“Please visit the hotel website for details (www.silkahotels.com/silka-tsuen-wan). During room booking, the DQF will ask the person making the reservation to provide the FDH's passport copy, valid employment visa and recognised vaccination record to verify the identity of the FDH and confirm the authenticity of the vaccination record. FDHs will also need to provide the above documents for verification when they check into the facility."

Employers and the agencies were advised not to book air tickets for their FDHs until they have secured rooms in Silka hotel. FDHs booked with other designated quarantine hotels by mistake will not be allowed to board flights for Hong Kong.

Employers and agencies are also warned to check the vaccination records provided by the FDHs to ensure they are genuine. Any worker found to have used a fake vaccination certificate will be sent to another quarantine facility and all the fees paid will not be refunded.

In addition, any FDH found to have knowingly or recklessly provided any information that is false or misleading (such as presenting a fake vaccination record) may be prosecuted and fined up to $25,000 and imprisoned for up to six months.

In addition, Hong Kong will notify the concerned consulates-general and the FDH concerned may no longer be issued an employment visa by the Immigration Department in future.

As for FDHs fully vaccinated in Hong Kong, they have been allowed to come in starting Aug 20, and could spend their 21-day quarantine at any of the other DQHs as listed here: (www.designatedhotel.gov.hk).

Fully vaccinated means they have received two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine at least 14 days before arriving in Hong Kong.

The relevant vaccines administered should be those included on the List of COVID-19 Vaccines Recognised for Specified Purposes: (www.coronavirus.gov.hk/pdf/list_of_recognised_covid19_vaccines.pdf).

Travellers who have recovered from previous COVID-19 infection will be required to receive one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in order to be considered as fully vaccinated.
            
Any enquiries may be directed to the Labour Department through its hotline at 2717 1771 or by email to fdh-enquiry@labour.gov.hk.

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HK, Phl to jointly issue details of agreement for return of FDHs

By Daisy CL Mandap

Only 400 FDWs can be accommodated in the only hotel designated for their use so far 

Hong Kong and the Philippine Consulate will jointly issue a statement on the gradual return of Filipino domestic workers later today, Aug 26.

This was revealed last night, Aug 25, by Consul Paulo Saret, head of the assistance to nationals section of the Consulate, in The SUN Interviews, held on Facebook live.

Saret said the joint announcements will pave the way for the reopening of HK to FDHs starting on Monday, Aug. 30, as previously announced by Philippine Secretary of Labour Silvestre Bello III.

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“Tomorrow, mag iissue ng joint press release ang ating Konsulado at ang pamahalaan ng HK,” said Saret. “Hindi na siguro natin matatalikuran ang sinabi ni Secretary Bello noong Sunday that this coming 30th of August ay pwede nang pumasok ang ating manggagawa.”

(Tomorrow, our Consulate and the Hong Kong government will issue a joint press release. We can no longer go back from the statement issued by Sec Bello last Sunday that our workers will start coming in from the 30^th of this month).

Most of the stranded passengers are FDWs who have been waiting to come in since Hong Kong issued a ban on passenger flights from the Philippines and other high-risk places on Apr 20 this year.

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Saret confirmed that the main sticking point was the lack of a uniform or standard vaccination certificate for those who were inoculated in the Philippines. This was resolved with the presentation of the International Certificate of Vaccination Prophylaxis issued by the Bureau of Quarantine in the Philippines.

But another issue arose when Hong Kong officials noted that the so-called yellow card issued by the BOQ did not bear the passport number of the vaccinated person. To resolve this, the Philippine side  asked the BOQ to issue a separate certificate to all Hong Kong-bound Filipinos giving out their passport number as a form of identity.

Thus, Saret advised all those who got vaccinated in the Philippines to first obtain the yellow card detailing all their information including passport  number, before securing their flights to avoid paying for rebooking in case they do not get the BOQ certificate on time.

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He also said the Consulate, through the Department of Foreign Affairs, has requested the BOQ to prioritize HK-bound passengers for the issuance of the vaccination card, and to open more places for distribution amid complaints that the earliest booking slot for the card is in November this year.

One worker posted in the comments section during the live show that she was forced to pay Php7,000 to hire a van that took her all the way to Subic, Zambales just to obtain the card, as that was the only place where there was an early booking slot.

Saret emphasized that only those who got vaccinated in the Philippines must obtain the yellow card. Those who had it in Hong Kong need not secure the card as their vaccination certificate issued here would allow them to enter the city at any time.

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He also clarified that all domestic workers who are using the yellow card must book with the hotel designated by the Hong Kong government for FDHs, whether they are returning or first-time workers.

Despite the designation of just one hotel for FDHs entering the city using the yellow card, Saret said the Hong Kong government has given assurance that there will be a steady stream of workers coming in.

But based on the announcement made by Chief Executive Carrie Lam on Tuesday, that would mean only a maximum of 400 workers coming in every 21 days, the length of mandatory quarantine for all passengers coming in from high-risk countries.

Saret said they hope that more quarantine hotels would be opened in time so all the estimated 3,000 Filipino workers waiting to enter could do so shortly.

Migrant leader Dolores Balladares-Pelaez, who was also on the show, asked why Hong Kong is segregating migrant workers from the rest of arriving passengers, saying this smacked of discrimination.

She said the domestic workers will all eventually join the families they will work for, whichever quarantine hotel they will be coming from, so segregating them does not serve any purpose but to again single them out as potential virus carriers.

Saret said the Consulate failed to see it this way, as they were busy trying to strike a deal over the vaccination certificate, but promised to bring up the concern in their next meeting with HK officials.

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Experts give up on herd immunity as 5 new Covid-19 cases reported

By The SUN 

The Filipina had 2 Covid-19 jabs in HK before she left for the Philippines  

A Filipina resident fully vaccinated in Hong Kong is among five Covid-19 cases reported today, Aug 25, all of them imported.

The newly confirmed cases also include three babies who tested positive for the L452R mutant strain of the coronavirus, and a woman from Pakistan.

The 44-year-old Filipina was found infected on Day 3 of her quarantine at Silka Seaview Hotel in Yaumatei. She is asymptomatic but the result of her variant test is still pending.

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The woman had received two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in Hong Kong on Mar 21 and Apr 11 before she went home, the Centre for Health Protection said.

She was the second arrival from Manila who tested positive for Covid-19 after Hong Kong lifted its ban on passenger flights from the Philippines and other high-risk countries on Aug. 9.

Three days ago, a seaman who received the full single dose of the Johnson&Johnson vaccine in the Philippines tested positive on arrival at Hong Kong airport.

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The only adult patient reported today is a 61-year-old woman who flew in from Pakistan via Dubai on Aug 18 and stayed at Ramada Grand Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui. She tested positive on her 7^th day test, but the result of her variant test is still pending. 

She received two Sinopharm jabs in Pakistan Apr 30 and May 23. 

Two of the infected babies today, both boys aged 1 and 2, traveled from Pakistan via Dubai and Bangkok on Aug 22 with a group including five women and men who were all found to carry the L452R variant on arrival test.

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A third baby patient, a girl aged 3, flew in with her parents from France on Aug 19. She was found infected with the L452R variant on her Day 3 test while in quarantine at Sheraton Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui. Both her parents have tested tested negative.

The five new infections raised Hong Kong’s total Covid-19 tally to 12,075.

Meanwhile, the CHP said it was notified of a confirmed case in the United Kingdom involving a 42-year-old woman who left Hong Kong on Aug 13. Her specimen collected on Aug 16 tested positive and she remains asymptomatic.

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The CHP said it is following up the case with UK health authorities.

Meanwhile, Wing Cheung House at Sui Wo Court in Sha Tin where the woman lived during the incubation period will be put under a compulsory testing notice.

Yuen and his team say herd immunity is no longer achievable 

Earlier today, microbiologist Yuen Kwok-yung and his team from the University of Hong Kong has urged the city to keep its zero-Covid strategy for the time being, even as they suggested herd immunity is no longer achievable because of the spread of the Delta variant.

In an article published in the Ming Pao Daily, the group said the threshold for herd immunity has risen greatly because the Delta variant is transmitted even among inoculated people.

They said that previously, herd immunity could be achieved if 70% of people in the community were vaccinated with BioNTech jabs, which have a 95% efficacy rate.

With Delta’s high transmissibility the threshold has risen to 97.4%.

If Sinovac, which has a lower efficacy, is used in the calculation. the vaccination rate should be 142.9%, which the team said is unachievable.

As the virus continues to mutate and becomes more transmissible, they said achieving herd immunity would be even more impossible, like “building a castle in the sky.”

They said Hong Kong should stick to a zero-Covid target to buy time to vaccinate everyone as quickly as possible to take advantage of this “zero infection” window and prevent serious complications and deaths.

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Walk-in vaccinations to also cover students aged 12 and above

By The SUN 

Many young kids are being stricken with Covid-19 as the inoculation rate among adults goes up

Students aged 12 and above can start applying for same-day tickets that will allow them to get vaccinated without having to make a prior appointment starting this Friday, Aug. 27.

According to a press release issued by the government Wednesday, the tickets will be distributed at 24 community vaccination centres daily starting at 7:45am on a first-come, first-served basis.

A total of 4,600 tickets will be distributed daily at the CVCs.

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Those who are issued tickets can receive a Covid-19 vaccination at a designated time slot on the same day.

Previously, the scheme was extended only to those aged 60 and above.

As with the elderly, the students can be accompanied by a maximum of two persons who can receive the vaccination at the same time. These companions could include teachers aside from family members.

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Student-applicants may secure the same-day ticket in person by presenting their HK identity cards, or an authorized representative who must have a copy of the ID card, or school attendance documents.

In addition, students who are aged between 12 and 17 must bring along a consent form signed by their parents for getting vaccinated. The consent form can be downloaded here: www.covidvaccine.gov.hk.

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The public is also advised that the minimum age for receiving the BioNTech vaccine is 12, and that for receiving the Sinovac vaccine is 18.

All CVCs will each distribute 200 tickets per day, except at Tung Chung Community Hall and Hong Kong International Airport which will each give away 100 tickets due to their limited capacity.

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The CVCs at Queen Elizabeth Stadium, Ap Lei Chau Sports Centre and Hong Kong International Airport will be distributing the same-day tickets until August 31.

The locations of the CVCs that distribute the same-day tickets are listed here: https://gia.info.gov.hk/general/202108/25/P2021082500230_375176_1_1629860112142.pdf.

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Filipina DH half-blind from cancer, decides it’s time to go home

By Vir B. Lumicao  

Elma before and after: Cancer has taken its toll but she remains upbeat

A 39-year-old Filipina domestic helper who is suffering from cancer has decided to return home to her family, after barely three years working in Hong Kong.

Elma Palitayan dela Cruz is set to travel on a Cebu Pacific flight to Manila this Sunday, Aug 29, even while she should still be undergoing chemotherapy treatment after her left breast was removed earlier this year.

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The mother of two from Santiago City, Isabela, decided to go back home after finding out the disease had worked its way to her brain, causing her partial blindness that dashed her hope of getting employed again.

Dela Cruz came to Hong Kong to work as a domestic helper for a Chinese couple on Nov 8, 2018. When her contract came up for renewal last November, she went for a medical examination and was diagnosed to have breast cancer. The employer didn’t rehire her.

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A British couple signed her up next, even after being told she had cancer. With their help, the Filipina managed to undergo mastectomy at Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital.

The couple eventually decided to leave Hong Kong but allowed Dela Cruz to keep her visa for a few more months so she could stay on for her treatment.

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Just a few weeks back, in the first week of August, a Hong Kong couple agreed to hire her even if they knew she had cancer.

“Hindi ko naman itinago ang sakit ko sa kanila. Sinabi ko ang totoo na may cancer ako na kasalukuyang ginagamot,” Dela Cruz said. (I didn’t hide my condition from them. I told them I have cancer and that I’m still undergoing treatment.)

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Everything was fine as she worked for the kind couple, until the employer’s elderly mother learned about her illness and got furious. Dela Cruz said after just five days serving her new employers, she was dismissed on orders of the old woman.

The couple let her go but again, told her they would continue sponsoring her visa so she could stay on in Hong Kong for her treatment.

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Dela Cruz said she underwent alternating chemotherapy sessions at Pamela Youde and Ruttonjee until recently when she complained about her blurring vision. Doctors examined her and found that the cancer had metastasized to her brain.

Palma's group has so far raised $15k for Elma through a social media campaign

“Gusto na lang daw niyang umuwi sa pamilya niya para makapiling naman niya ang dalawang anak niya,” said Marites Palma, founder of Social Justice for Migrant Workers, a support group for domestic helpers in Hong Kong.(She says she just wants to go home to her family so she could be with her two children again).  

Palma’s group has set up an online fund-raising campaign for Dela Cruz to raise money for her plane ticket to Manila and financial needs back home. Palma said her group has received total donations of around $15,000 so far.

The fund-raising through Facebook is set to continue until Sept. 5. Link is here: (https://www.facebook.com/events/322703689634316/?ti=ls)

Part of the money they initially raised was used by the group to buy a Cebu Pacific ticket to Manila for the patient.

But when told this, Welfare Officer Virsie Tamayao of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration immediately contacted the employment agency that placed Dela Cruz with her last employer so they could pay for the ticket as required by law.

“Just now, I called the agency, and I was told they are more than willing to purchase the ticket for the patient,” said Tamayao in a message to The SUN.

According to the agency representative, they were not told about Dela Cruz’s predicament. Tamayao said she would just ask Palma to give the receipt for the ticket so the agency could refund the money.

In addition, Tamayao said she has endorsed Dela Cruz for OWWA’s financial assistance that could give her up to Php20,000. She could also be included for the livelihood program thorough which another Php20,000 could be awarded to her.

Tamayao also said the OWWA regional office had already called Dela Cruz’s daughter to inform her about the assistance being given to her mother, and her own eligibility for OWWA’s scholarship training program.

Before coming to Hong Kong in 2018, Dela Cruz worked for five years in Singapore. Her children were still young then but she was forced to leave them in the care of her ageing parents because her husband had abandoned them.

Despite her frail condition, Dela Cruz remains upbeat about the future. She says she plans to open a sari-sari store once she returns home so she could augment the income of her daughter, 19, who works as a salesgirl in the Santiago market. Her son, 16, still goes to school.

Having overcome the odds in providing for her children for the past eight years, Dela Cruz is confident there will be enough time for them to rebuild a life together.

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Emirates flight from Dubai banned after 5 passengers test positive for Covid-19

By The SUN 

5 passengers on the Emirates flight from Dubai were found infected on arrival in HK

Health officials have ordered a two-week suspension of Emirates flight EK384 from Dubai after five of its passengers tested positive for Covid-19 on arrival in Hong Kong on Aug 22.

The five infected passengers had originally flown in from Pakistan, and transited through Thailand and the United Arab Emirates on the way to Hong Kong.

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They were among seven imported cases of coronavirus infection reported by the Centre for Health Protection today, Aug. 24.

CHP staff said all seven confirmed cases carried the L452R mutation of the coronavirus.

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All of the passengers were fully vaccinated in Hong Kong, except for a nine-year-old boy from Lithuania who tested positive on his third day in hotel quarantine, and a six-year-old boy from Pakistan.

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Both were asymptomatic, as well as two other passengers from Pakistan, both females aged 27 and 34.

Another female, aged 28, developed symptoms on Aug 23 while another aged 26, had symptoms on arrival.

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The only other passenger was a 56-year-old man who arrived from Turkey on Aug 20 and tested positive on Day 3 of his quarantine at Regal Airport Hotel. He was asymptomatic.

The new cases took Hong Kong’s total Covid-19 tally to 12,069.

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A total of 47 cases had been reported in the past two weeks, all but two of them imported.

One of the local cases involved a worker at the airport lounge whose source of infection was unknown, while the other was a foreign domestic helper who got infected by two fellow guests at Dorsett Hotel in Wanchai while they were in quarantine.

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Filipina gets suspended sentence for throwing mug at boardmate

By Vir B. Lumicao 

The Eastern Court magistrate found the defendant had deliberately thrown a mug at the victim

A Filipina domestic helper who injured a fellow helper on the face after throwing a mug at her was sentenced to three months in jail, suspended for three years, after being found guilty of assault.

Lilian Regidor, 33, had claimed she did not intend to hit the victim, Virgie Decena, 53, when she angrily threw a ceramic mug during a quarrel in their boarding house in Sai Wan on Jan. 9.

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But Eastern Court Magistrate Peony Wong dismissed the claim after two days of trial, and found Regidor guilty on a charge of assault occasioning bodily harm.

The court heard that the incident took place around 2:30pm on Jan 9, after the defendant was roused from her nap by a noisy dispute. A boarder named Loida lost her newly topped Octopus card and demanded to see the serial number of Decena’s Octopus card.

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Upset by the noise, Regidor got up and rebuked Decena, telling her she had been doing bad things. Decena fought back, calling the defendant a gossip, sparking the assault.     

The magistrate rejected Regidor’s claim that she had thrown the mug at a table as she was being pulled back into her room to break up the fight.

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The magistrate said she found it incredible that the mug accelerated after bouncing off the table, hitting the corner of Decena’s right eye before striking her upper lip on the way down.

She said if the mug bounced on the table, it would not have been able to cause serious injuries to the victim’s right eye and right upper lip, causing the teeth on her right upper jaw to wobble. 

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Wong said she was inclined to believe the victim’s claim that the mug was thrown directly at her, causing the injuries.

The magistrate said her finding matched the medical report on how the victim’s injuries were sustained.

The thrown mug hit the victim in the eye and lip, and caused her teeth to wobble

The defense lawyer said Regidor came to Hong Kong to work as a domestic helper in 2011 and is now on her sixth contract with the same employer. She sends home most of her salary.

She is married to a farmer who earns the equivalent of $5,000 from his harvest, and supports her parents as well as two younger siblings who are still in high school.

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The lawyer asked that the defendant be meted a fine so she could continue working.

Wong said that after considering the defendant’s clear record and remorse, she decided to impose a suspended sentence.

Outside the courtroom, the defendant said she continues to work for her Indian employers.

During the trial, her female employer showed up in court to show support, saying the Filipina is a good and honest employee who has served her family for over 10 years.

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