14 FDHs from Phl among 38 new Covid-19 cases

By Daisy CL Mandap

 

A total of 63 travelers from Manila tested positive on arrival in HK in past week alone

Despite all direct flights from Manila being effectively halted Wednesday, 14 more Filipina domestic helpers tested positive for Covid-19 with mutant strains on Wednesday, Jan. 5. They were among 38 new confirmed cases reported by Hong Kong authorities, which took the city’s latest tally to 12,799.

In the past week alone, a total of 63 travelers from the Philippines tested positive on arrival in Hong Kong or while in quarantine, most of them carrying the two mutant strains linked to the highly infections Omicron variant. Sixty of them were foreign domestic workers, while the remaining three were returning residents.

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All but one of the new Filipina arrivals flew aboard Cathay Pacific’s flight 906 on Jan 1, and tested positive on their third-day test while in quarantine at various designated facilities. The 14^th infected passenger came aboard AirAsia’s flight ZZ126 on Jan 2.

Cathay’s Manila to Hong Kong flight was suspended for two weeks on Jan 3, after its first batch of seven passengers from its Jan 1 trip tested positive on arrival. The latest batch raised to 20 the total number of infected passengers from this particular flight alone.

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AirAsia followed suit on Jan 4, when nine of its passengers on its flight two days earlier tested positive on arrival. With today’s sole new infection, the total number of infected passengers on this flight rose to 10.

Philippine Airlines flight PR300 was also barred from flying to Hong Kong on Jan 1 when six of its passengers tested positive on arrival in Hong Kong. An additional 14 cases from this flight have been detected since, rounding up the total tally to 20.

The first flight to be suspended was 5J272 operated by Cebu Pacific Airlines. Three of its passengers initially tested positive on their arrival on Dec 29, and 10 more were uncovered in the succeeding days.

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All the suspensions were, however put to naught by Chief Executive Carrie Lam’s announcement Wednesday that a flight ban for six countries heavily infested with Omicron cases, including the Philippines, will be enforced starting Friday, Jan.7 and will last for two weeks or until Jan. 20.

The move was taken not just because of the unprecedented number of travelers arriving mostly with the highly dreaded variant, but also because of a local outbreak of Omicron cases designated as import-related.H Officials said a flight ban was the only way to stem the surge in infections which could overwhelm hospitals.

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In its latest report, the CHP said that of the new cases, 34 were classified as imported, three were import-related while one was a local case.

Experts fear the highly infectious Omicron variant might have already spread in the city

Of the three import-related cases one involved a 13-year-old girl who had lunch with her mother at the Moon Palace Restaurant in Kowloon Tong where an outbreak was linked to a Cathay aircrew who skipped quarantine. The two others were family members of another Cathay aircrew who was able to go home after testing negative at the airport.

The local case pertained to a 42-year-old male patient who tested positive for Covid-19 with mutant strains, but had no travel history and did not go to any high-risk place. Follow-up investigations revealed he had regularly passed by Victoria Park on his way to his work in North Point, where a group of women with ties to the Moon Palace cluster danced regularly.

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An overnight lockdown of the man’s residential building in Tuen Mun did not yield any new case.

CHP said that in line with regulations, the Department of Health meted a two-week suspension on the following flights after a number of their passengers tested positive on arrival. These are: 

·       AC5015 operated by Air Canada, which carried five passengers from Toronto who tested positive upon arrival on Jan 4;

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·       LH796 operated by Lufthansa German Airlines which arrived in Hong Kong from Frankfurt, Germany on Jan 3, and had six passengers who tested positive on arrival, and

 

·       CX845 operated by Cathay Pacific, which arrived from New York on Jan 4, and had seven passengers who tested positive upon arrival

 

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New schedule for HKID card replacement set

By The SUN

 

Hong Kong residents born in 1983, 1984, 1987 or 1988 – including foreign domestic helpers -- can replace their HK ID cards with the new smart identity cards from Jan 19 and Apr 2, 2022, the Immigration Department announced today.

Immigration said that they should bring their old identity cards and apply in person at a Smart Identity Card Replacement Centre (SIDCC), which are open from 8am to 10pm and from Monday to Saturday (except public holidays).

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The Identity Card Replacement Exercise covers all Hong Kong residents, whether they are permanent residents or non-permanent residents who are permitted to take up employment, make investment, reside or study in Hong Kong.

To avoid the gathering of crowds, Immigration suggested that applicants make appointment bookings via mobile application, the Internet (www.gov.hk/newicbooking), or the 24-hour telephone booking hotline 2121 1234. 

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To download the Immigration mobile app or to make an appointment booking via the Internet, applicants can scan the QR codes below. 

Immigration also appeals to applicants to pre-fill the application form when making appointment bookings through the mobile app on or the Internet in order to enjoy faster identity card replacement service.

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Immigration is also implementing a caring arrangement, under which a scheduled ID Card applicant may bring along up to two family members or friends aged 65 or above and two persons with disabilities to replace their identity cards together during the same visit to an SIDCC.

For Hong Kong residents born in 1980, 1981 or 1982, their specified period for identity card replacement will end on Jan. 18, 2022 (Tuesday). Those who have not yet applied for a new smart identity card should do so as early as possible.

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Eligible Hong Kong residents who are absent from Hong Kong during their call-up period can apply within 30 days upon their return to Hong Kong.

For details of the Replacement Exercise, visit the website www.smartid.gov.hk or call  Immigration’s enquiry hotline at 2824 6111.

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All SIDCCs are open from 8 am to 10 pm, Mondays to Saturdays (except public holidays). Their addresses are as follows:

Hong Kong Island Smart Identity Card Replacement Centre: Room 200, 2/F, Shui On Centre, 6-8 Harbour, Road, Wan Chai

East Kowloon Smart Identity Card Replacement Centre: Unit 1, 2/F, Manulife Financial Centre, (registration service) and Unit 1B, 3/F, Manulife Financial Centre (collection service), Tower A, 223-231 Wai Yip Street, Kwun Tong

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West Kowloon Smart Identity Card Replacement Centre: 12/F, Gala Place, 56 Dundas Street, Mong Kok,

Tsuen Wan Smart Identity Card Replacement Centre: Shop S201, 2/F, Smartland, 50 Texaco Road, Tsuen Wan

Sha Tin Smart Identity Card Replacement Centre: Shop G26, G/F (registration service) and Shop 123, 1/F, (collection service) Kings Wing Plaza 1, 3 On Kwan Street, Shek Mun, Sha Tin

Sheung Shui Smart Identity Card Replacement Centre: 7/F, Spot, 48 Lung Sum Avenue, Sheung Shui, Tuen Mun

Smart Identity Card Replacement Centre: Shop L414B, Level 4, Leung King Plaza, Leung King Estate, 31 Tin King Road, Tuen Mun

Yuen Long Smart Identity Card Replacement Centre: Shop 50, G/F, Manhattan Plaza, 23 Sai Ching Street, Yuen Long

Tseung Kwan O Smart Identity Card Replacement Centre: Shop 20-26, G/F, Corinthia by the Sea, 23 Tong Yin Street, Tseung Kwan O, Sai Kung

Scan the QR codes below to go to:

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‘Dance cluster’ linked to Omicron led to 3,700 people being tested on cruise ship

By The SUN 

The cruise was cut short after two infections, including that of an Indon DH, were found

A luxury cruise liner was summoned back to the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal earlier today, Jan. 5, after it emerged that nine close contacts of an Omicron carrier were on board.

The vessel, Spectrum of the Seas, was supposed to return to port only tomorrow, but at the request of health authorities, ended the cruise earlier.

They were greeted by officials of the Centre for Health Protection as soon as the ship berthed, and all 2,500 passengers and 1,200 air crew were tested by the dockside.

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Earlier, the nine close contacts were isolated inside the ship, and tested. They were re-tested with the rest of the passengers on arrival and the results were all negative, said the CHP.

On further investigation, 18 close contacts of the isolated guests were reportedly identified and along with the nine previously tested, will be sent to a quarantine centre.

Experts said unless the people on board test positive for Covid-19 eventually, it was not likely that the other passengers on the ship would be required to move to the quarantine centre.

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The named passengers were all linked to the mother of a 48-year-old female Cathay employee, who infected two family members when she went home to North Point after testing negative on arrival at Hong Kong airport on Dec. 27. 

She tested positive for the coronavirus with the Omicron variant two days later.

The Indonesian helper often visited Victoria Park along with her employer's dancing group 

Meantime, her 62-year-old mother, who was later found to have been infected as well, met up each morning with about 20 friends for dancing at Victoria Park, and at the Causeway Bay Community Centre.

One of her dancing friends, a 48-year-old woman who lives at Causeway Tower in Causeway Bay, developed symptoms on Sunday and tested preliminary positive. She was confirmed to have Covid-19 with the Omicron strains today.

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The 43-year-old Indonesian domestic worker of another friend she visited at home in Chesterfield Mansion also in Causeway Bay, developed a fever, runny nose and sore throat on the same day.

At the advice of a church leader, she went to a boarding house in Rialto Mansion in North Point to rest, then had herself checked at Ruttonjee Hospital in Wan Chai where she tested positive for Covid-19 with the Omicron strains.

But before this, she met up and dined with friends at Victoria Park and nearby places, and attended church services on Jan 1 and 2, where about 80 other people were present.

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Meanwhile, the helper’s employer, along with eight other members of the elderly woman’s dancing group boarded the “Spectrum of the Seas” on Jan 2 for a “cruise to nowhere” that was meant to last for five days.

After the two women were tested preliminary positive, Causeway Tower and Chesterfield Mansion were both put under an overnight lockdown. However, no new cases were found after residents of both housing blocks were tested.

No new infection was found, either, in another lockdown on block 2 of Tsui Ning Garden on Fung On Street, where the first untraceable patient of a suspected Omicron carrier lives.

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The 42-year-old surveyor who had not been vaccinated, told investigators he had not traveled lately, nor had been to any high-risk places such as the Moon Palace restaurant in Kowloon Tong where an import-related outbreak of Omicron has occurred.

CHP chief Dr Edwin Hui said in a briefing this afternoon that further investigation revealed that the man would take the bus that took him from his residence to Victoria Park, where he walked to his office in North Point.

Hui  said that the man’s walking route took him about 20 meters away from the dancing ladies, but were not sure if this was the source of his infection.

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“The distance is quite far away from the group of ladies who were dancing at that time, 20 meters away. All of them were wearing masks at the time. (But) there are possible risks because of Omicron’s transmissibility,” said Hui.

Another possibility that they are looking at is whether the man had been to a nearby restaurant at the same time as the elderly woman who was the index patient in the dance cluster.

His Octopus record reportedly showed he had been to one restaurant on Dec 31 where two other infected patients had dined.

Hui said contact tracing is still ongoing. But he said the cases were worrying, as all three patients were found to carry heavy viral load, with Ct values of between 13 (for the Indonesian helper), 16.5 to 18 for the man, and 21 for the woman.

Meanwhile, the cruise operator, Royal Caribbean International, said it has asked all guests to be fully vaccinated and provide negative test results before boarding the cruise liner in line with regulations.

It added it was cancelling a trip scheduled for Thursday, ahead of Chief Executive Carrie Lam’s announcement that all cruises departing Hong Kong will be suspended from Friday, Jan. 7.

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HK imposes 2-week flight ban on 8 countries including Philippines

 By Daisy CL Mandap 

CE Lam says the situation deteriorated rapidly since last night, prompting the tightening of measures

Chief Executive Carrie Lam has ordered all flights from eight countries, including the Philippines, to be halted for two weeks starting on the first hours of Jan 8, until Jan 21, amid a heightened alert in Hong Kong over the spread of the Omicron variant.

The others included in the list are Australia, Canada, France, India, Pakistan, United Kingdom and the United States.

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All passengers flying in directly from any of these places, or transiting through a third country, will not be allowed to come in.

Mrs Lam made the announcement in a public address this afternoon, Jan. 5, where she was joined by her top health officials.

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The unscheduled briefing came in the wake of the first unlinked case of suspected Omicron infection being reported, as well as two preliminary positive cases linked to a Cathay aircrew found to carry the highly infectious variant. All three patients had been to various places across Hong Kong.

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“The situation in Hong Kong is deteriorating, that’s why we have to take decisive action,” said Mrs Lam.

Apart from the flight ban, certain social distancing rules will be tightened similar to what had been done during the third and fourth wave of the pandemic, said Mrs Lam.

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The steps which will take effect from Friday, Jan 7 to Jan 20 will include the following:

1)     cancellation of major events or large unnecessary gatherings, including a farm fest scheduled this Friday and the Hong Kong Cycling Festival;

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2)     all dine-in services will stop at 6pm each day, but the maximum head count will remain as before, i.e.  2 people to a table for category B places; 4 for category C and 6 for category D

3)     public performances, including dancing, karaoke will be suspended;

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4)     beauty parlors, gyms, museums, party rooms, nightclubs, bars, swimming pools and cruises will be halted

5)     all venues regulated by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department will be included in the restrictions

6)     all visits to high-risk places such as nursing homes will be suspended.

Mrs Lam said the more restrictive measures will be reviewed after two weeks, and depending on the outcome, could either be relaxed or further restricted.

But she was hopeful there would be a positive development so members of the public could celebrate the Lunar New Year happily.

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AirAsia flight from Manila banned after 9 passengers test positive on arrival

By Daisy CL Mandap 

AirAsia had 9 infected passengers on board when it landed in Hong Kong

Hong Kong has banned another airline that flew passengers direct from Manila after nine of its passengers tested positive for Covid-19 with the Omicron-related strains on Jan. 2.

The banned flight is ZZ1264 operated by Air Asia, which appears to have resumed flying to Hong Kong after the three main carriers that regularly ply the route – Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines and Cathay Pacific - were each meted two-week suspensions for bringing in a number of infected passengers.

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The passengers from Manila comprised seven foreign domestic helpers, six females and one male; and two returning residents who are both males. They are identified as case numbers 12734, 12738, 12739, 12740, 12741, 12742, 12743, 12744 and 12766.

All were asymptomatic except for case no 12742 who had symptoms on arrival. All tested positive at Hong Kong Airport.

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Another Filipina domestic helper aged 39 tested positive on her third-day test at Penny’s Bay Quarantine Centre. She was the 21^st passenger from the Philippine Airlines flight PR300 on Dec 30 to have tested positive for Covid-19 with the Omicron strains.

The 10 passengers from Manila were among 39 confirmed Covid-19 carriers reported in Hong Kong as of midnight last night.

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ZZ1264 was just one of an unprecedented five flights suspended for two weeks from today, Jan 4, for flying in with at least three passengers who tested positive on arrival in Hong Kong:

The others are: 

-        CX419 operated by Cathay Pacific which arrived from Seoul, Korea on Jan 2 with three infected passengers;

-        AI1314) operated by Air India which arrived from Delhi, India on Jan 2 with three infected passengers;

-        AC007 operated by Air Canada which came from Vancouver, Canada on Jan 2 with four infected passengers;

-        and TG600 operated by Thai Airways which came from Bangkok, Thailand on Jan 2 with infected five passengers.

5 flights coming into HK were banned today for bringing in at least 32 infected passengers

According to the statement issued by the Centre for Health Protection, 26 of the newly confirmed cases were asymptomatic while the remaining 13 had symptoms.

They took Hong Kong’s total confirmed cases to 12,761.

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Thirty-six of the cases were imported while three were linked to an imported case. They comprised 23 females and 16 males, aged 13 to 66.

Thirty-four of the cases had the N501Y and T478K mutant strains associated with Omicron, while the test results for the remaining five are pending.

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Two of the import-related cases, 12746 and 12754, are family members of an earlier imported case whom they lived with. They have no recent travel history.

The third, case 12747 is a 66-year-old female retiree who dined at Moon Palace restaurant in Kowloon Tong on Dec 27, at the same time that an infected Cathay air crew had lunch with two relatives. She is unvaccinated.

The CHP also announced that 12 more infected patients were confirmed to carry Omicron after a genome sequencing analysis. They are made up of eight males and four females aged 1 to 61 years old.

So far, a total of 114 Omicron cases have been detected in Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, an online search showed AirAsia has no listed flight in the near future, while PAL and Cathay have teamed up to fly passengers from Manila-Cebu-Hong Kong at a slightly higher fare than that for the direct flight.

The travel time is between 5 to 9 hours, instead of the usual 1 hour, 45 minutes for a direct flight, and costs over $5,000, one way.

Other airlines offer flights from Manila with one stop in another country before flying on to Hong Kong, including Asiana, ANA, Japan Airlines and Scoot. Fares are between $7,000 to a whopping $15,000 and the travel time could last the entire day.

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