25 imported cases among 628 new Covid-19 cases reported

By The SUN

 

25 of the new cases were imported, and they resulted in two flight suspensions

Health authorities reported 628 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday, down 40 from the previous day. They took the total number of cases to 1.18 million.

Among them are 25 imported cases, 19 of which involved passengers who tested positive on arrival at the airport. The remaining six cases were detected during hotel quarantine.

Two flights were suspended for one week from flying to Hong Kong after they brought in passengers who were either infected or did not comply with boarding requirements.

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These include flight CX100 operated by Cathay Pacific which flew in on Apr 20 from Sydney, Australia, with four passengers who tested positive on arrival.

The other is Korean Air flight KE607 which arrived from Seoul, Korea on Apr 19 with one passenger who tested positive on arrival and five who did not comply with pre-boarding requirements.

Dr Albert Au of the Centre for Health Protection said the new cases included 317 confirmed through PCR tests while 311 were reported by patients who did self-tests.

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Au also said 250 schools have resumed face-to-face classes and that the CHP was informed of seven reports of infection from six different schools. They involve five teachers and two students who tested positive in rapid tests before going to school.

Two of the infected teachers work in the same school but Au said their cases are not linked.

The two students are from different schools.

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Five of the seven patients had gone to school on Tuesday and Wednesday as they tested negative on both days.

Au said there are still risks of infection in the community so it was not unexpected that positive cases would be detected among students and school staff.

What’s more important, he said, was that “we have prevented infected pupils and teachers from returning to school to minimize the risk of transmissions on campus."

CE Lam leads inspection of Clementi school, one of the venues for the HKDSE

Separately, Chief Executive Carrie Lam inspected one of the examination centres of the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) examination which starts Friday to check on their preparations for guarding students and teachers against Covid infections.

About 50,000 students are set to sit the HKDSE which will be held over three weeks this year. They include six who will take it from Penny’s Bay isolation facility. Four of them tested positive for Covid-19 while two are in quarantine.

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All candidates are required to present health declaration forms on which the result of their rapid test conducted in the morning is set out, and to have their body temperature checked on arrival.

Seats inside the venues will be set up with an appropriate distance between them while good ventilation shall be ensured throughout the examination.

Meanwhile, Undersecretary for Food and Health Chui Tak-yi said authorities will continue to be on the alert for any outbreaks now that social distancing measures have been eased.

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"Premises have reopened and people may lower their guard thinking outbreaks have stabilized," Chui said. "But law enforcement teams will step up inspections and prosecutions in the meantime because we don't want a rebound in cases."

Health officials also reported 26 new deaths, including 18 involving people who died on Wednesday. They took the death toll from the fifth wave to nearly 9,000.

They also said the details of almost all of Hong Kong's 1.18 million recovered Covid patients have been uploaded onto a platform. The concerned patients can download a QR code off the platform which they can use instead of a vaccine pass.

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People who are still having difficulty downloading the QR code have been asked to double check their ID card numbers or contact the authorities if they still encounter problems.

 

Ban on multiple household gatherings lifted from today

By The SUN

 

People from more than 2 households may gather again

It’s time to party again – bearing in mind, of course, that the number of Covid infections are still high, meaning a surge in cases is still likely.

A government statement issued late Wednesday said the Executive Council had approved the implementation of the first stage of the relaxation of social distancing measures starting today.

This includes scrapping the ban on multi-household gatherings in a private places and allowing up to four people to gather in public.

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Restaurants will also be allowed to open until 10pm during which they can provide dine-in services, and several venues where people gather in large numbers such as places of worship, amusement parks, cinemas and others, may reopen, although they can only take in up to 50 percent of their capacity.

The government also said mask-wearing will continue to be enforced in all public places, including mass transportation, and even when an individual is engaged in a strenuous activity.

Only in special circumstances will the restriction be lifted, such as when a person is eating, having facial treatment or taking part in a religious ritual.

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The statement said the government’s plan to allow people to take off their masks while exercising in public or are in country parks will form part of the second stage of adjustments to social distancing measures.

Meanwhile, health officials reported 668 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, and said the situation has stabilised.

CHP's Au says no upsurge in cases has been detected after the holidays - yet (File)

Dr Albert Au of the Centre for Health Protection said they have not seen an upsurge in cases but they will continue to monitor the figures because the Easter holidays have just ended.

He also said they received reports that three students and a school staff had tested positive on rapid antigen tests so they did not return to school despite the resumption of face-to-face classes on Tuesday.

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But 12 positive results from an international school that were reported earlier turned out to be false, and were said to have resulted from parents misreporting the test results in the school platform.

Subsequent tests on the students turned out negative results.

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Among the confirmed cases, 13 were imported. Ten patients tested positive on arrival at the airport and three were detected during hotel quarantine.

Two flights were suspended for a week each after arriving on Apr 19 with three or more passengers who tested positive on arrival.

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These are flight TG600 operated by Thai Airways which arrived from Bangkok with three infected passengers and flight (EK384) operated by Emirates which came from Dubai and Bangkok with four passengers who tested positive on arrival.

An additional 10 patients infected with Covid had passed away in the past day, pushing Hong Kong's death toll in the fifth wave of the pandemic to 8,973.

TV drama scenes bordering on discrimination, says EOC chair

By Daisy CL Mandap

 

Wong says sorry for playing the role of a Filipina helper who used sorcery to seduce her employer

Equal Opportunities Commission chairperson Ricky Chu said there were scenes in the controversial TV drama, Barrack O’Karma 1968 that he found disturbing and could be construed as “bordering on racial discrimination.”

Chu made his remarks when asked for his opinion on whether the TV episode might have violated racial discrimination laws during The SUN Interviews, which aired live on Facebook Wednesday night.

He said what disturbed him most were the dialogues in two scenes in episode 7 of the show where a male character used a collective noun in addressing the local Chinese actress who played the role of a Filipina domestic worker.

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By making the man say things like “You Filipina domestic helpers are such and such…” Chu said there was a narrative that was totally discriminatory and bordering on racial discrimination and possibly vilification.”

He was joined in the program by Shiela Tebia Bonifacio, a spokesperson of Asian Migrants Coordinating Body which announced during a press conference held earlier in the day that it was mulling filing a complaint with the EOC against those behind the program.

AMCB’s statement which Bonifacio read during the press briefing said members were “very offended” by the drama series aired recently by TVB, which it said unkindly portrayed migrant domestic workers as “dark-skinned liars, seducers and witches.”

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Bonifacio said she had watched the TV drama with some Chinese friends and it made her feel insulted, particularly  because the Filipina domestic worker was portrayed as having used  witchcraft to seduce her male employer.

She said the AMCB wished to complain, not so much about the brown-faced portrayal of Filipino migrant workers by a light-skinned actress, but because of the overall negative depiction of their character.

Chu agreed that the brownface aspect may not be discriminatory in itself, but it could be used with other elements to draw up sufficient evidence of discrimination or vilification.

EOC chair Ricky Chu says a complaint has to be made before an inquiry can be launched

Chu also welcomed Bonifacio’s desire to pursue a case, saying the EOC needed a complaint before it could initiate an inquiry.  

“I want to make it clear that I don’t want to pre-empt a complaint,” said Chu.

He said the migrant workers’ group need not worry about approaching the EOC because there will be a team that will assess their complaint and advise them on their next move.

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Meanwhile, Franchesca Wong, the actress who darkened her skin to play the role of the Filipina helper, has broken her silence following the uproar over the  drama series.

“I genuinely have no intention to disrespect or racially discriminate any ethnic group, please forgive me for getting it wrong. It has been a challenging experience to be at the centre of the lesson that art reflects deeply entrenched social attitudes,” said Wong.

“I am truly sorry that my insensitivities have offended and hurt. I am committed more than ever to using my acting for the good of the community.”

Wong was shown in a video while in the act of coloring her legs brown

TVB, which has received much of the flak in the controversy, has taken down the episode in question from its website but announced that it will be made available again after changes have been made.

Consul General Raly Tejada who has slammed the show for being “ignorant, insensitive and totally disgusting,” saw TVB’s move as an admission that they did something wrong.

“I believe TVB has stopped making the show available and they even shelved the second episode. This is a big victory and an admission on TVB’s part that there is something wrong with their show,” he said.

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But the country’s top diplomat who has fired off letters of complaint to both TVB and the Hong Kong government over the perceived slight to Filipinos said the network should do more than just pull out the show.

“I hope a proper apology could be issued by TVB,” he said.

Congen Tejada also welcomed Wong’s public apology, saying it was an admission that she did the Filipino community wrong.

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“I also see it as a sincere attempt to redeem herself,” he said.

1,255 fined over holiday for not wearing face mask, violating gathering rule

 

Govt enforcers on education campaign among FDHs on their day off

The government reminder was simple but serious: do not gather in groups of more than two people and wear face masks when in public places during the Easter holidays to avoid catching Covid-19.

But hundreds of people paid no heed.

They were caught by teams of personnel from Hong Kong Police Force, the Labour Department, District Offices, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department who roamed various public places during the holidays.

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This, amid accusations of discrimination when Labour addressed a reminder to foreign domestic helpers that these teams would be watching for violations in various public places they frequent in Central and Western, Wan Chai, Eastern, Yau Tsim, Mong Kok, Sham Shui Po, Shatin, Sai Kung and Tsuen Wan districts.

Yesterday, the Police reported issuing fixed penalty tickets to 1,255 people from April 15 to 18; they were each fined $5,000. Of this total, 584 violated the law that prohibits gatherings of more than two people, and 671 were caught not wearing face masks.

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In enforcing the Prevention and Control of Disease (Prohibition on Group Gathering) Regulation (Cap. 599G), the Police also reported 442 inspections, 10 reminders and 15 prosecutions.

In enforcing the Prevention and Control of Disease (Wearing of Mask) Regulation (Cap. 599I), the Police also conducted 526 inspections and issued 10 reminders.

The Police figures had no separate FDH numbers.

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But a report of the FEHD, which conducted joint operations the Police, clearly indicated that it concentrated on food businesses violating the Prevention and Control of Disease Regulation provisions on business and premises, vaccine pass and more.

It said FEHD and police inspected 93 catering and seven other premises during the joint operations on April 17; and the FEHD on its own inspected 476 catering premises and 112 other premises.

The FEHD has initiated prosecution against operators of 13 catering premises suspected of breaching the regulations. 

Among these, seven cases were for failing to wear masks inside the premises, four for not putting  distance or partition between customers, one involved customer not scanning the "LeaveHomeSafe" app, and one of not ensuring compliance with a minimum of six air changes per hour or operating air purifiers that do not meet specifications.

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Aside from penalizing the establishments, the FEHD also required them to take corresponding measures for reducing the risk of disease transmission.

One individual who failed to scan his "LeaveHomeSafe" and vaccine pass was also penalized with a fine of $5,000. Another 10 persons were fined $5,000 for public cleanliness offenses or obstruction in public places.

For its part, the LCSD reported that 34 persons were caught violating the grouping and face mask rules in the parks and areas under its supervision, and fined $5,000.

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They were the only ones penalized by LCSD after giving verbal advice 2,610 times during about 5,120 patrols of venues by the LCSD staff since April 15.

Avoiding social gatherings is of utmost importance in preventing the ongoing spread of the pandemic. The LCSD spokesman asks members of the public to stay vigilant and comply with the relevant regulations on prevention and control of disease in a concerted and persistent manner. Enforcement actions will be taken by the LCSD when irregularities are found.

CG rejects Bayan Muna reps’ claim of ‘chaotic’ overseas voting in HK

By Daisy CL Mandap

 

The House Resolution called the first day of overseas voting in HK 'chaotic'

Consul General Raly Tejada has confirmed his online participation today in a House of Representatives inquiry into the alleged “chaotic and disorganized ” first day of overseas voting in Hong Kong and several overseas posts.

House Resolution No 2544 dated Apr 12 was filed by Bayan Muna representatives Ferdinand R. Gaite, Eufemia C. Cullamat and Carlos Isagani T. Zarate, and published in mainstream media in Manila on Monday.

In it, the authors said the Apr 10 opening of overseas voting for Filipinos in many places was “marred with confusion and met with concerns by overseas Filipino workers.”

It singled out Hong Kong as the place where thousands of workers were unable to vote on the first day because of inadequate vote counting machines (VCMs) and precincts, causing a long queue of voters. Instead of the previous 10 precincts, only five had been set up that day.

Further, the resolution cited a report from United Filipinos (Migrante) Hong Kong chair Dolores Balladares Pelaez saying that Congen Tejada had announced that only 3,000 people could cast their votes that day. As a result, only 3,285 were able to vote, said the motion.

This was followed by a statement released on Tuesday evening by Bayan Muna HK which Pelaez also chairs, where it was claimed that voter disenfranchisement continued in Hong Kong after two VCMs malfunctioned.

The police team leader asked CG to stop the queueing at 11:30am on the first day 

In response, a surprised Congen Tejada said, “On the contrary napakaayos natin and organized despite facing some challenges. I really feel for my staff who have been working so hard to ensure that we have a successful election."

“Maging Filipino community sa Hong Kong super proud ako kasi di lang disiplinado kundi talagang matiisin sila kahit na gaano kahaba ang pila.” (I am also super proud of the Filipino community in Hong Kong because they are not only disciplined they have also been patient, even when the queues were long).

“And it shows in the record turnout.”

Indeed, given the strict pandemic controls being enforced by the police and the sorely inadequate VCMs commissioned for use in Hong Kong initially, the number of voters on each day has been high compared to recent overseas voting exercises.

For the past nine days of voting the daily turnout never dipped to below 1,000 and last Sunday peaked to more than 5,000, despite a queue that extended up to three kilometres away at one point.

A sparse crowd on Tuesday still resulted in a total turnout of nearly 1,300

Adding Tuesday’s tally of nearly 1,300 the total turnout so far should be well over 25,000. With three more Sundays to go plus a statutory holiday on May 1, this puts Hong Kong on track to match, if not exceed its 45,000 turnout in the last presidential election in 2016.

This is despite two of the additional five VCMs put in place starting Tuesday last week becoming totally unusable by Sunday. The voters assigned to the two affected precincts were still able to vote, though, even if the waiting time for them became much longer.

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Thus, Congen Tejada said, “Wala namang disenfranchisement – lahat naman nakaboto. Wala akong narinig kahit isa sa ating Filcom na nagreklamo. Mostly ay masaya naman.”

(There was no disenfranchisement at all, everybody got to vote. Not one among our Filcom members complained. Most of them were happy).

He also reiterated that the Consulate had always insisted on getting no less than the 10 VCMs that had always been assigned to Hong Kong previously, especially since the total number of registered voters had swelled to a record 93,625 for this election.

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However, Comelec initially determined that five were enough, based on their estimation that one machine could handle 20,000 ballots.

“Never kaming nag request ng lesser number ng VCMs. Di namin balak pahirapan ang aming mga sarili at Filcom,” he said. (We never requested for a lesser number of VCMs. We do not wish to make things difficult for us and for the Filcom).

Even the back area of Bayanihan is occupied when there is an overflow from the crowd of voters

Earlier, Congen said he had already asked Comelec to send more VCMs to Hong Kong to replace those that have conked out, and maybe even have a spare or two on standby.

In her statement, Pelaez also complained of the Consulate’s recent practice of giving only ballpark figures for the daily turnout, saying it was not like an exit poll that could influence voters.

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Pelaez said getting an accurate number each day could give the community a better idea of how many people are likely to have voted at the end of the exercise.

Congen Tejada did not dispute this, but reiterated that it was Comelec which instructed all overseas posts not to disclose the exact number of people who voted each day.

In the House resolution, the proponents also dealt with problems reported from places like Dubai where the first day of election resembled that of Hong Kong. People queued up for up to five hours to vote, and police reprimanded them for not keeping social distancing.

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Relatively small matters like voters wearing campaign shirts inside the polling place and loud campaigning from places near precincts were also reported.

In Saudi Arabia, voters complained about not being given indelible ink on their fingers to indicate that they had voted while in many countries like Japan, the United States and Italy, the mailed ballots were all delayed.

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Over in Shanghai, no voting could take place because of the citywide lockdown due to Covid, while in France the Philippine Embassy had reportedly shut down, depriving Filipinos living there of their right to vote.

14 students and 1 teacher test positive for Covid as schools reopen

By The SUN

 

Today's press briefing was led by CHP controller Dr Tsui (2nd from left)

A total of 600 coronavirus cases were confirmed Tuesday, including 14 students and one teacher who tested positive on rapid antigen tests ahead of the resumption of face-to-face classes.

Dr Edwin Tsui, controller of the Centre for Health Protection said two primary schools reported having one student each who tested positive, while 12 students and one teacher in international schools were also found infected.

Starting today, students and school staff are required to undergo rapid tests before entering the campus each day. Tsui said those who test positive should not attend school and isolate, whether at home or at a community facility.

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He also disclosed that the government has launched a registration system for recovered patients so they can download a QR code that will serve as their vaccine pass for six months after recovery.

Within this period, the patient should get a new vaccine dose depending on experts’ recommendation, which could be between 30 and 150 days after recovery.

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Among the newly confirmed cases, 320 were confirmed through PCR tests while 280 were reported by residents who conducted rapid self-tests.

Eleven of the cases were imported, including five detected on arrival at the airport and one involving a 15-year-old boy who tested positive 12 days after arriving from Australia.

CHP’s Dr Albert Au said the boy had a low viral load, indicating it could be a re-positive case.

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Health authorities suspended a SCOOT flight from Singapore from one week starting today, after two of its passengers tested positive on arrival in Hong Kong yesterday, while one patient did not comply with pre-boarding requirements.

The total death toll from the fifth wave of the infection now stands at 1.18 million, with 8,963 related deaths.

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Dr Sara Ho of the Hospital Authority said 17 additional deaths were reported today, including 16 patients who passed away yesterday. One other death involving a 72-year-old man was not reported on time.

The youngest patient was a 33-year-old man who had a history of drug abuse and severe autoimmune deficiency. He was admitted to hospital with fever, diarrhea and low blood pressure, and after receiving treatment in intensive care, passed away Monday.

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Ho said 8,438 patients are receiving treatment in public hospitals and infection control centres. Among them 50 are in intensive care, including four deemed critical today, while two others are in serious condition.

Pinoy ikinulong ng 16 buwan dahil sa 'loitering' at overstaying

Ang Tsuen Wan court, kung saan dininig ang kaso laban sa Pilipino

Isang dating domestic helper na una nang umamin sa salang overstaying at “loitering” matapos mahuli sa bubong ng isang gusali sa Yuen Long, ang ipinakulong ng 16 na buwan kanina.

Hawak ang Bibliya na bigay ng isang pari habang siya ay nakakulong, kalmadong tinanggap ni Wilbert M. Abad ang sentensiyang ibinaba ni Deputy District Judge C H. Li sa Tsuen Wan court.

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Dahil nakulong na si Abad nang 13 buwan, tinataya ng kanyang abugado na mahigit isang buwan na lang ang ilalagi niya sa loob, kapag nabawas ng Correctional Services Department ang mga piyesta opisyal at Linggo sa sentensiya.

Nagsimula ang kaso ni Abad Oct. 15, 2020 nang mahuli siya sa bubong ng isang gusali kung saan ang isang residente ay sumigaw para humingi ng tulong matapos siyang mamataan. (Basahin ang naunang report ng The SUN: https://www.sunwebhk.com/2022/04/filipino-caught-on-roof-found-guilty-of.html).

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Unang kinasuhan ng pulis si Abad ng “burglary” ngunit hindi ito napatunayan ng taga-usig dahil wala naman siyang sandata, hindi pilit nagbukas ng kahit anong pinto o bintana at hindi rin siya nanakit o gumawa ng pinsala.

Ipinalit ang kasong “loitering”, na kanyang inamin sa pagdinig sa West Kowloon Law Courts noong ika- 7 ng Abril.

Para dito ay pinarusahan siya ni Judge Li ng 12 buwang pagkakakulong.

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Matapos makapagpiyansa si Abad sa naunang kaso, dumulog naman siya sa pulis noong March 19, 2021 upang magreklamo na binugbog siya ng isang grupo ng kalalakihan.

Nang irepaso ang kanyang record, nadiskubreng siya ay overstaying na mula pa noong May 7, 2013, o tumira siya sa Hong Kong nang walang visa sa loob ng pitong taon, 10 buwan at walong araw.

Ang ipinataw na parusa dito ay apat na buwang pagkakakulong.

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Iniutos ni  Li na pagsilbihan ni Abad ang dalawang parusa nang hiwalay at magkasunod.

Samantala, sa hiwalay na kasong dininig sa West Kowloon Courts, binasahan ng demandang burglary si Maricris Sayco, 45, isang domestic helper.

Inakusahan siyang pumasok sa isang bahay sa Sham Shui Po  noong Nov. 1, 2021 at nagnakaw ng dalawang relo, dalawang iPhone, isang power bank at isang laptop computer.

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Dahil sa bigat ng kaso, iniakyat ito ni Magistrate Minnie Wai Lai-man sa District Court, upang dinggin sa May 3. 

Nakakalaya si Sayco sa piyansang $10,000.