Gov't opens first hotel to isolate people who test positive for Covid-19

Tang inspects Dorsett Tsuen Wan, the first hotel turned into a community isolation facility. B

The first hotel transformed into a Community Isolation Facility (CIF) was opened today in Tsuen Wan to house people who have tested positive for Covid-19 but with minor or no symptoms.

Dorsett Tsuen Wan will be joined this week by three other hotels that will be made into CIFs --  iclub Ma Tau Wai Hotel, iclub Fortress Hill Hotel and Regal Oriental Hotel.

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Secretary for Security Tang Ping-keung, inspected Dorsett Tsuen Wan yesterday to ensure the first CIF hotel is ready.

In all, the government has secured about 4,400 hotel rooms for use in the CIF program, which will be brought into service by a task force formed by the Security Bureau (SB) and headed by former Director of Fire Services Li Kin-yat. as officer-in-charge.

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The rooms are expected to relieve the pressure on hospitals, which have been swamped by new Covid-19 cases, and had reached their maximum capacity.

Tang said the SB has recruited some 1,000 retirees of various disciplinary forces to be deployed to various CIFs or hotels to assist the operation and management of the facilities. All personnel will receive relevant training and be equipped with sufficient protective gear.

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The government will maintain close liaison and co-operation with the participating hotels to ensure the orderly transfer of people, their isolation in the designated hotel rooms and subsequent discharge.

Tang expressed his gratitude to hotels participating in the scheme for supporting the anti-epidemic work, hoping that the Government and the hotel sector, with concerted efforts, can join hands in riding out the fifth wave of the epidemic.

Pinay, nakipag-ayos sa amo pagkatapos ng halos 7 buwan na paghahabol

Nagkaayos ang dating mag-amo matapos ang paliwanagan.

Nagwakas sa areglo ang kasong inihain ng isang Pilipina sa Labour Tribunal upang habulin ang dapat bayaran ng among nagsisante sa kanya noong gabi ng July 30, 2021 sa Cheung Chau.

Naganap ang pagkakasundo nina Sany Jane Caronan at dati niyang among si Damian George Flynn noong Feb 16 matapos silang paliwanagan ni Presiding Officer Jo Siu tungkol sa tatlong bayarin na pinagtalunan sa kaso.

Ang unang hiningi ni Caronan ay $100 para sa pagkain at iba pang gastos sa pag-uwi niya mula Maynila hanggang Isabela, na agad sinang-ayunan ng dating amo.

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Ang pangalawa ay ang $4,500 na hiningi niyang pamasahe sa paglipad pa-Manila. Inalmahan ito ni Flynn na nag-alok ng $1,827. Pero ayon kay Siu, ang karaniwang presyo ng tiket ngayong panahon ng pandemya ay $3,000, kaya pumayag dito ang magkabilang panig.

Tumagal ang usapan sa ikatlong hiling ni Caronan, na nasa kontratang pinirmahan nilang mag-amo: isang buwang suweldo kapalit ng abiso (in lieu of notice) ng kanyang pagkasisante.

Ipinilit ni Flyn ang karapatan niyang magsisante, at dahil may mabigat na rason daw ito – katulad ng  pabaya sa trabaho si Caronan at hindi ito sumusunod sa utos– ay hindi niya na kailangang magbayad ng para sa "notice."

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Nang hingan siya ng halimbawa ni Siu na nagpabaya sa trabaho si Caronan, sinabi ni Flynn na minsan, may kalaro ang kanyang anak na apat na taong gulang. Nagsumbong daw ang kalaro sa ina nito na natutulog si Caronan habang naglalaro sila, imbes na magbantay sa kanila.

Hindi rin daw nagpapaalam si Caronan kapag umaalis sa kanyang day off, kaya naiiwang mag-isa ang anak niya. Nang tanungin kung bakit nagkakaganito, ipinaliwanag ni Flynn na nakahiwalay sa bahay ang kwartong tinutulugan nilang mag-asawa.

Sinabi rin ni Flynn na ang anak niya ay nagkaroon ng problema sa pag-uugali, dahil sinisipa niya si Caronan. Inutusan daw nila ang helper na isumbong sa kanila kapag ginawa ulit ito ng bata, pero hindi na nagsumbong ito.

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Dito sumingit si Siu upang sabihin na ang paghubog ng ugali ng kanilang anak ay lampas na sa dapat asahan sa isang domestic helper.

Idinagdag niya na ang mga ipinakitang pruweba ng magkabilang panig ay hindi sapat, kaya kung magpapatigasan sila, maaaring isampa sa korte ang kanilang kaso.

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Sinabi niya kay Caronan na hindi niya gustong tumagal ito sa Hong Kong nang walang trabaho, dahil matatagalan bago masisimulan sa korte ang kaso at hindi siya bibigyan ng bagong employment visa ng Immigration Department habang dinidinig pa ito.

Kay Flynn, inisa-isa niya ang bigat ng pagkakaroon ng kaso, gaya ng anim na araw na gugugulin para sa hearing na pwede niyang gamitin sa paghahanap-buhay.

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At pwede ring hindi matatapos dito ang kaso, kung i-apela ang magiging resulta nito.

Kaya iminungkahi niya sa magkabilang panig na magkasundo sa isang presyo bilang kabayaran sa lahat ng hinahabol ni Caronan. Ang kapalit nito ay walang ituturong may kasalanan, at hindi na sila pwedeng maghabla laban sa isa’t isa tungkol sa kaso. 

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Nag-alok si Caronan na bawasan ng kalahati ang kanyang hinahabol, ngunit iminungkahi ni Siu ang kabuuang kabayarang $5,300. Agad namang tinanggap ito ng magkabilang panig, at noon din ay pinirmahan nila ang kasunduan.

HK urged to give isolation facilities for displaced migrant workers

By Daisy CL Mandap 

The 2 Filipina workers spent more than 1 day huddled in the cold outside Queen Mary

The Hong Kong government has been urged to provide isolation facilities for foreign domestic workers who have tested positive and have no place to stay either because their employers kicked them out, or they were about to go home after being terminated.

The call was made during an online press conference held earlier today by the Asian Migrants Coordinating Body, which said the affected workers ended up camping out amid the cold and rain outside the emergency rooms of public hospitals which did not want to admit them, or sleeping in a park.

“Where is the government when we need help?,” asked Eman Villanueva, AMCB spokesperson. “This is very cruel and inhumane.”

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“We have been taking care of Hong Kong families for decades, but when we get sick, we are left out in the cold and deprived of financial assistance.”

Villanueva mentioned in particular the plight of one FDW who had to spend two days in a park in Yau Ma Tei as she had nowhere to go after testing positive just before her intended departure back home.

The worker was reportedly denied a new employment visa after she terminated her previous contract due to ill-treatment by her employer.

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Villanueva acknowledged reports that the government is negotiating to secure hotel rooms to be turned into isolation rooms for patients with mild or no symptoms, but said he hoped migrant workers, including those who no longer have visas, would be accommodated there.

He also said their stay there should be free as the cost of staying in a hotel for up to 14 days is beyond the workers’ means.

Earlier, The SUN reported on five other Filipino workers who were forced to spend overnight on Monday outside Queen Mary Hospital in Pokfulam, or the North Lantau Hospital Infection Control Centre.

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One was forced out by her employer while the rest were not allowed to move back in by fellow helpers in their respective boarding houses. Three were about to leave for the Philippines and decided to take their pre-flight Covid-19 tests at the airport when they tested positive.

Another worker sent a picture of some folding chairs she said she had to sleep on while waiting inside a tent reserved for coronavirus patients outside Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

AMCB wants isolation rooms and help for Covid-positive migrant workers (FILE)

The workers at North Lantau Hospital have since been admitted to an isolation facility, according to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration of the Philippine Consulate, while the two outside Queen Mary were accommodated in a boarding house secured for them by Help for Domestic Workers.

Separately, the worker in Yau Ma Tei was also given shelter by Help, a non-government organization, said a news report.

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The fourth worker who was at Queen Elizabeth has yet to give an update on her whereabouts and condition.

AMCB chairperson Dolores Balladares-Pelaez also called on the Hong Kong government and the consulates of sending countries not to call on migrant workers to stay at home on their rest days as this gives employers reason to demand that they do not take a day-off.

“It is very important for us migrant domestic workers to take a day-off,” said Pelaez, adding that it is the only day in the week when they can get away from the stress of having to work long hours, especially now that many employers work from home.

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Such a call also “stigmatize” FDWs as virus carriers, she said.

Sringatin, an Indonesian spokesperson of AMCB, also said the call for migrants to stay at home belies the fact that the record infections came from family gatherings by locals over the Chinese New Year.

She also decried employers ordering their workers to buy their own rapid antigen testing kits so as to prove they are not carrying the virus into their homes.

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Eni Lestari of International Migrants Alliance hit out at the alleged singling out of migrant workers in the enforcement of anti-gathering restrictions, pointing out to such operations being carried out only during the weekends at known FDW haunts.

She also warned that police are preparing to intensify their enforcement operations this coming weekend.

Manatili sa bahay kapag nagpositibo sa Covid-19, sabi ni Congen

 By The SUN

Tulungan natin na masugpo ang Covid-19 sa HK, sabi ni Congen

Nanawagan si Consul General Raly Tejada sa mga Pilipino sa Hong Kong na sumunod sa mga patakaran bilang pakikiisa sa pagsugpo sa paglaganap ng Covid-19 dito.

Halimbawa, ang mga nakatanggap ng abiso na nagpositibo sila sa coronavirus ay dapat manatili sa bahay alinsunod sa abiso ng gobyerno.

“Doon sa mga kababayan natin na, sad to say, ay preliminary positive after testing o positive, ang kasulukuyan pong gabay ng ating Center for Health Protection ay manatili lang sa bahay at antayin ang patnubay at tawag ng CHP,” ika ni Congen Tejada sa isang video message na inilathala sa Facebook page ng Konsulado kahapon.

“Kung kayo naman ay may mild or moderate symptoms, manatili po tayo sa bahay at huwag lalabas. Ang CHP po ang tatawag sa inyo kung magkakaroon po ng bakante sa kanilang ospital sapagkat po sa dami ng nagkakasakit. Almost 10,000 po ngayon ang naghihintay na maasikaso o mabigyan ng hospital room or quarantine room dito sa Hong Kong.

“At iyon naman pong mayroong seryosong sintomas, tulad ng pagsisikip ng dibdib, pananakit ng katawan at pag-ubo at may serious breathing difficulties, yan po ay kailangang itawag po ninyo ng ambulansiya at nang madala kayo for admission sa hospital.

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Ang payo naman ni Congen Tejada sa mga lumalabas tuwing day off ay sumunod sa social distancing rules: dalawa lang ang pwedeng magkasama sa grupo, at laging magsuot ng facemask kapag nasa labas.

“Last weekend, marami pong natiketan, marami pong nasita, sapagkat hindi po sumusunod. At ako po’y natawagan ng mga autoridad ng Hong Kong to remind you, aking mahal na kababayan, na sana po tayo’y sumunod sapagkat sila mismo, ayaw din po nilang magtiket,” ika niya. 

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“Ngunit kung ito po ay tinatawag ng pagkakataon at kayo po ay totoong nahuli, despite repeated warnings, sila po ay compelled by law to issue a ticket.”

Nanghinayang siya sa mawawala sa nahuli. “$5,000 din po iyon at hindi maliit na halaga. Napakasakit po na yung pinaghirapan po natin ng isang buwan ay mapuputa lang doon,” dagdag niya.

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Sinabi rin niya na kung makatanggap ng compulsory testing notice ay sumunod agad at mag-tungo sa pinakamalapit na testing center upang malaman kung sila ay ligtas at maiwasan na rin ang multang $10,000.

“Kailangan po nating magkaisa at kailangan nating tulungan ang Hong Kong at ang ating sarili  na magapi ang Covid-19 dito,” ika niya.

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Binigyang-diin niya ang “lumalalang sitwasyon ng pandemya at patuloy na pag-akyat ng bilang ng mga Covid-19 positive at impeksiyon dito sa Hong kong.”

Ayon kay Congen, mananatiling bukas ang Konsulado, mula Linggo hanggang Huwebes, upang pagsilbihan ang Filipino community.

Pero hiniling rin niya na kung pwedeng ipagpaliban na lang ng mga Pilipino ang kanilang transaksyon ay huwag na muna silang magpunta sa Konsulado. 

Gov't to monitor FDH boarding houses more closely

Employment agencies' boarding houses will be monitored more closely.

The Labour Department has pledged to monitor more closely the boarding houses provided by employment agencies (EAs) to foreign domestic helpers waiting for their working visas, to ensure that they are clean and livable.

Labour was responding to a report published today by the Ombudsman on  "Government's regulation of boarding facilities for foreign domestic helpers (FDHs)", which noted an array of problems, including overcrowding, poor hygiene and suspected violations of the permitted use of the building.

The Ombudsman said that with the policy to import FDHs, who now number around 370,000, the governent has a duty to ensure reasonable protection of their well-being, including with regard to their temporary boarding facilities.

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Aside from a list of recommendations to Labour, the Ombudsman also urged the Immigration Department to process working visa applications more quickly to reduce demand for these boarding houses, and for the Home Affairs Department to optimize procedures for handling complaints about these facilities.

Ombudsman Winnie Chiu’s recommendations for improvement were welcomed and accepted by the three agencies.

For its part, Labour said employment agencies are not required to provide boarding facilities for job-seekers (including FDHs) under the Employment Ordinance, the Employment Agency Regulations and the Code of Practice for Employment Agencies (CoP).

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But if they do maintain one, the CoP requires that “they must ensure that the relevant approval(s) or licence(s) for operating the boarding facilities or bedspaces have been obtained from all relevant government authorities, and the prescribed standards in respect of building structure, fire safety as well as health and hygiene as specified in the relevant laws of Hong Kong and/or any other licensing requirements as devised for such facilities are fully and satisfactorily met at all times.”

If an agency violates the CoP, the Commissioner for Labour may revoke or refuse to issue/renew its licence, or issue warnings so that the irregularities are corrected.

“Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, Labour has repeatedly reminded agencies to keep their boarding facilities hygienic and observe the relevant health guidelines in order to minimize any infection risk. We will continue our efforts in this respect,” it said.

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As suggested by the Ombudsman, Labour will strengthen the monitoring of boarding facilities and work more closely with other government departments to facilitate checking, exchange of information, referral of complaint cases and follow-up actions, it said.

Other recommendations include: 

(1) liaising with stakeholders and requesting agencies to submit information about their FDH boarding facilities (if any), thereby creating a database for such boarding facilities; 

(2) compiling and publishing a list of FDH boarding facilities operated by agencies for better information transparency and facilitating informed choices of FDHs, as well as fostering improvement in the sector's operation standards by market forces;

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(3) revising the CoP with more specific details on the relevant laws, standards and guidelines applicable to agencies engaged in FDH boarding service for their reference and compliance;

(4) stepping up education in urging agencies to actively co-operate with the Government's initiatives, and encouraging voluntary improvement of FDH boarding facilities;

The full investigation report can be read in the website of the Office of The Ombudsman at www.ombudsman.hk.

HK posts another day of record infections and deaths from Covid-19

By Daisy CL Mandap 

Officials will free up more space for patients who have been waiting outside hospitals amid the cold (RTHK)

Health officials have reported yet another record number of confirmed cases and deaths in Hong Kong.

Speaking at today’s press briefing, Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection announced that 6,116 confirmed cases of Covid-19 were recorded as of midnight last night. Nine were imported and the rest were all locally acquired.

The preliminary positive cases were down slightly to 6,300 from yesterday’s record high of 7,000 cases.

A total of 24 Covid-related deaths were also reported, 14 males and 10 females. Fifteen died within the past 24 hours, while nine others passed away between Feb 11 and 15, but their deaths were not reported immediately.

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They took Hong Kong’s death toll recorded in public hospitals to 219.

According to Dr Sara Ho from the Hospital Authority, most of the fatalities, who ranged in age from 36 to 98 years old, were unvaccinated. The 36-year-old had chronic ailments and needed long-term care, while the rest are mostly elderly.

A further 10 patients are in critical condition, and their ages range between 12 months and 94 years old. Among them is a 28-year-old woman whose condition deteriorated after giving birth, and had to be intubated in the intensive care unit.

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“The child is safe,” said Dr Ho, who also reported an unprecedented 60 patients in serious condition.

For the first time, the CHP reported that 6,199 patients are quarantined at home, and 3,152 of them belong to family clusters.

The HA said that the remaining 2,866 patients are in various public hospitals and infection control centers, while 2,100 others with mild or no symptoms are in Penny’s Bay isolation facility.

Discharge will be quicker so vulnerable patients like the elderly can be admitted

Dr Ho acknowledged that amid the cold and rain, thousands of patients, many of them elderly, are being made to wait outside public hospitals, some of them in tents and others in open air, because there are no more beds available.

She said hospital staff are worried about their condition and are trying their best to cope despite the shortage of manpower. “It’s a very difficult situation for the whole society,” she said.

As of today, she said 140 of their personnel have tested preliminary positive or positive, and about 50 patients have been classified as close contacts.

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She assured the patients that hospital staff will keep an eye on their condition and are working to get them indoors so they are not exposed to the elements.

To further alleviate the situation, Dr Ho said the discharge criteria for Covid-19 patients will be modified some more.

Those who are admitted to hospital and test negative after 14 days will be discharged, unless they belong to the high-risk categories, such as the elderly and those with long-term illnesses.

To free up more beds, residential care homes will be asked to take back their residents who are in hospital and could be discharged.

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Dr Ho said this has been a problem because many such facilities are reluctant to take back their residents, fearing this could increase the risk of infection among the other residents and staff.

She said that as part of stepped-up measures, said the help of private medical practitioners will be enlisted. The need for additional help is so severe that “if they reported this morning, they could start active duty in the afternoon,” she said.

Another measure being taken pertains to patients who are staying at home in compliance with the CHP’s directions, and announced by Undersecretary for Food and Health Dr Chui Tak-yi.

Those lucky enough to secure a place in an isolation facility will be allowed to return home on the seventh day if they test negative prior to this, and their home setting allows it. But they will still need to isolate for a further seven days.

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If the patient’s home setting is not deemed ideal, he or she will have to stay at the community isolation facility for 14 days and must test negative. Dr Chui said the 14^th day is always the cut-off period

Dr Chui thanked those who tested positive and are waiting at home, but was not clear about whether they will need to be taken to an isolation facility still if they test negative in the meantime.

Asked to confirm reports that mandatory testing for all of Hong Kong’s 7,000 residents will soon be undertaken, Dr Chui said there are a number of steps that the government is planning to take up to help people.

He also said that the fifth wave has infected more people in Hong Kong than all the previous waves combined since the start of the pandemic. From January this year to yesterday, he said 30,955 cases have been confirmed.

Filipino workers driven away after getting Covid-19

By Daisy CL Mandap 

One of the workers stuck outside Queen Mary with all her belongings 

Five Filipino domestic workers who tested positive for Covid-19 found themselves stuck outside two public hospitals from last night, after they were turned away from their boarding houses and their employers’ homes.

Two of them waited in the cold outside Queen Mary Hospital after being told at the accident and emergency section that they could not be admitted without a referral from the Centre for Health Protection.

Three others stood in the queue outside the North Lantau Hospital Infection Control Centre, but were also turned away, along with hundreds of other patients who were all clamoring to be admitted.

According to the workers at Queen Mary, they had nowhere to go. One of them had just moved to her new employer’s house on Feb 14 when she tested positive in what was supposed to be a pre-employment test.

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The other is also currently employed but is on a live-out arrangement. The other helpers in her boarding house had reportedly refused to let her back in after finding out that she had tested positive.

Despite being told to wait it out at the tents set up outside the hospital for confirmed patients, the two decided to go to a boarding house which a non-government organization had found for them.

“Two days na po kaming walang maayos ligo at tulog,” said one of them. “Nahiga na nga po ako sa gilid ng kalsada. Imbes na gagaling kami mamamatay kami dahil sa walang ayos na kain at tulog.”

(We haven’t had a proper bath and sleep for two days. I have already slept on the side of a street. Instead of recovering we might die because of a lack of food and sleep).

Their plight was brought to the attention of the Consulate and several migrant support groups by Marites Palma, founder of Social Justice for Migrant Workers.

Exhausted and hungry, the two Filipinas were forced to lay on the cold floor while awaiting help

It was the same story for the three workers who remain stuck outside North Lantau Hospital as of this writing.

According to staff at the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration who undertook the risky task of bringing them food and supplies, the three were staying in a boarding house while waiting for  their flights home when they tested positive.

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They had gone to the airport to take a Covid-19 test as part of the requirements for boarding a flight to the Philippines. When the result turned positive, their boardmates refused to allow them to move back in.

Consul General Raly Tejada said anyone who tests positive should not leave their homes in line with the directive of the Centre for Health Protection.

“We need to make sure our nationals do not leave their homes when they are positive and consistent with current protocols should follow CHP’s instructions,” he said.

“They should also avoid going to the airport to get a Covid test or while awaiting results as they could end up stranded like our nationals in Lantau just now.”

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ConGen Tejada said OWWA was assured by a hospital nurse that the workers were already under the care and responsibility of the hospital. They have also been listed in the hospital system as among those awaiting intervention by the CHP.

Told about the worker who was driven out of her employer’s home, ConGen said the Consulate is pressing the CHP to provide care and help to them while awaiting action on their request for hospital admission.

The Labour Department is also being asked for an assurance that employers do not abandon their Covid-positive workers.

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Under the Labour Ordinance, employers who terminate (including constructive dismissal as in the case of the worker who was driven out of the house) their helper who gets sick are liable to prosecution and to a fine of up to $100,000.

The five workers were, however, apparently only among a few who faced eviction by people they live with after learning they had the coronavirus.

A number of workers have reportedly been calling the OWWA hotline to ask for help because they were being driven out of their boarding houses after they tested positive.

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However, OWWA’s staff have told them that they must stay put in compliance with the government’s directive. If the other people in their lodging houses insist on driving them out, they should call 999 immediately.

Alternatively, they should call the Consulate or OWWA so a settlement could be reached with those trying to force them out.

Covid patients are made to stay inside makeshift tents outside hospitals 

Under the CHP’s guidelines, all Covid-19 positive patients must stay at home and wait for further instructions on when or whether they would be moved to a hospital or isolation facility.

They could also try calling the dedicated hotline, 1836115 or book an appointment with any of seven public clinics providing free medical check-ups. The list of the designated clinics along with their addresses and contact numbers are here: https://gia.info.gov.hk/general/202202/15/P2022021500435_387455_1_1644927493402.pdf

From Friday, Covid patients may also book a free taxi ride in going to the clinics by logging on to www.designatedtaxihk.com from 7am on Feb 18, or call 3693 4770 (8am to 10pm from the same day).

7 clinics open to Covid-19 patients with free taxi service starting Friday

Designated taxicabs will have a mark on the back window to identify it as a service for Covid-19 patients.

The government opened today seven designated clinics that will provide free check-ups to people who have tested positive for Covid-29 as part of efforts to cope with the surge in the number of new cases in Hong Kong.

To complement the clinics’ operation from 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm from Monday to Sunday, including public holidays, a free taxi service will be available to ferry Covid-19 patients to and from starting Feb. 18 so that they would not have to take public transportation and be a risk for other passengers.

And if the Covid-positives need information or advice on what to do while awaiting placement in hospitals, or if they want to set appointments at these clinics, they can call a new hotline: 1836 115. The telephone service will operate seven days a week, from 8am to 120 pm.

The designated clinics, which used to operate as clinics for various purposes, are equipped to handle the requirements of Covid-19 patients, according to the Hospital Authority, which operates them  (the designated clinics and medical refill clinics are listed below).

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HA Chief Manager (Patient Safety & Risk Management) Dr Sara Ho said people seeking consultation must make appointments by telephone to avoid queues at the clinics.

“For the designated clinics, they are open for those symptomatic, preliminary positive or positively confirmed cases who are waiting for admission to either hospital or designated isolation facilities. They need to pre-register and book through the telephone, so they can arrive separately.”

Dr Ho outlined specified the patients who will be handled by the clinics.

“If the patients have mild symptoms that can be controlled by paracetamol or cough medicine, then they can monitor their condition and stay at home. But for those patients who have symptoms but do not have medication at home or after a telephone consultation or enquiry still want to see a doctor, the designated clinic is (an option).”

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However, the advice for those who test positive remains the same: Stay at home until the Centre for Health Protection can get them admitted to a public hospital or an isolation facility for those with mild or no symptoms.

The Department of Health added that some of its clinics and service units which are at the same locations as designated clinics will be temporarily closed or adjust services to segregate Covid-19 patients from other users.

The affected units are the Victoria Road Dental Clinic, Robert Black Maternal and Child Health Centre (MCHC), San Po Kong Elderly Health Centre (EHC), Robert Black Methadone Clinic and Shau Kei Wan EHC.

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Meanwhile, the taxi service can be booked, starting Feb. 18, either by telephone or through its website which is being set up.

The Transport and Housing Bureau (THB), together with the taxi industry, have allocated 300 taxicabs to transport patients between the designated clinics and their residences.  The number of taxis will be adjusted according to the actual demand.

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The spokesman said in a press statement, "Patients should visit the designated clinics by designated taxis as far as possible. The Government will provide operators and drivers of the designated fleets with anti-epidemic guidelines. Drivers of the designated fleet must wear protective equipment, including protective face shields (while not driving), masks and protective gowns, and fully disinfect the compartments every day and perform a daily rapid antigen test before providing services. Only those who have tested negative for the virus can provide these services.”

It added: “In order to reduce the infection risks, passengers must use the back seats of the taxis, as the front passenger seat of the taxis will not carry passengers. The designated fleet will only transport those with appointments made with the designated clinics, and will not pick up other passengers. Specific labels will be affixed on the taxi bodies for public identification."

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To book their taxis, patients with appointments at designated clinics can go to the dedicated booking platform (www.designatedtaxihk.com) from 7am on February 18, or call 3693 4770 (8am to 10pm from the same day). They need to provide their name, contact number, appointment time, designated clinic, pick-up location and other information. The drivers of the designated fleet will contact them to confirm and arrange the transport services.