Bago itaas ang pamasahe sa tram, may libreng sakay muna ulit

 Ng The SUN

Libre muli ang sakay sa tram sa Lunes

Sa Lunes ay dapat sanang itataas na sa $3 ang regular na pamasahe sa tram, pero nabigyan ng isang araw na palugit ang mga sasakay dito.

Sinagot kasi ng Hong Kong Construction Association ang bayad ng lahat ng mga pasahero sa araw na ito, bilang pagpapatuloy ng selebrasyon para sa ika-25 taong anibersaryo ng pagbabalik ng Hong Kong sa China.

Noong nakaraang buwan ay ipinasa ng Executive Council ang panukala na itaas sa $3 ang bayad ng regular na pamasahe mula $2.60 simula sa Jul 11.

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Ang bayad ng mga bata ay tataas mula $1.30 sa $1.50, at ang mga 65 taon pataas ay magbabayad ng $1.30 imbes $1.20.

Ang buwanang tiket ay magkakahalaga na ng $260 imbes $220, at tatanggalin na rin ang tiket para sa mga turista.

Ayon sa sponsor ng libreng sakay, gusto nitong makiisa sa pagdiriwang ng anibersaryo ng HKSAR. Gusto din daw nilang ikalat ang saya at positibong epekto ng pagbaba ng mga kaso ng Covid-19 sa HK.

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Isang selebrasyon din ito para sa Jul 11, ang araw na itinalaga para kay Lo Pan, na siyang patron ng mga karpintero, inhinyero at ibang pang nagtatayo ng mga gusali.

Bukod sa libreng sakay sa tram, may inihanda ding iba-ibang pasinaya para kay Lo Pan, kabilang na ang kainan sa gabi, pamimigay ng bigas sa 18 distrito, at isang araw na local tour.

Maglalagay din ng mga banderitas at isang malaking plake na may bulaklak sa harapan ng opisina ng asosasyon sa 180-182 Hennesy Road, Wan Chai.

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Kasabay ng pahayag tungkol sa libreng sakay ay inilunsad din ang pagpapangalan sa isang tram ng “Tokkyu PS” bilang selebrasyon ng ika-40 anibersaryo ng inuming Pocari sa Hong Kong.

Lahat ng sasakay sa tram na ito ay magkakaroon daw ng kakaiba at “interactive cool ride”, ayon sa magkahiwalay na pahayag ng Tramways at Pocari.

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Habang nakasakay sa tram, maari silang magkuhanan ng mga litrato at makakuha ng impormasyon tungkol sa halaga ng tubig sa katawan ng tao at iba pang katulad na detalye.

Maari din nilang i-scan ang QR code sa likod ng kanilang upuan para mapanood ang palabas ng girl band na Collar, na nag-eendorso sa Pocari.

 

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CE orders review of border restrictions as 2,268 Covid cases reported

By The SUN

 

CE Lee (middle, front) pose for a photo with 16 new Exco members and 3 top secretaries

Chief Executive John Lee says he has called for a review of anti-pandemic measures, with a view to striking a balance between reducing Covid infection risks and reducing travel inconvenience.

Speaking ahead of his first Executive Council meeting on Tuesday, CE Lee said, “I’ve asked the health secretary to look at the evidence and statistics to see how we can on the one hand contain the spread of the pandemic and at the same time reduce the inconvenience to travelers.”

Lee said one of the areas being considered is to reduce the hotel quarantine period for incoming travelers. He added Health Secretary Lo Chung-mau was preparing a series of options for him. 

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Some government advisers have proposed cutting down the mandatory hotel quarantine from seven days to either five or three days, with the remaining time being spent on home quarantine.

Other experts and even politicians have called for allowing residents to just quarantine at home, but the government does not seem keen on the idea.

At the same time, the new CE warned people in Hong Kong would only be allowed to go about their normal activities once they are identified as not infected, but did not elaborate.

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He also took the chance to give thanks to the 16 non-official members of Exco for agreeing to take up the posts, saying their vast experience will help him make important decisions.

Meanwhile, health authorities reported an additional 2,268 Covid infections during the regular press briefing on the coronavirus situation. Of these, 183 are imported cases.

Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection reiterated that the number of cases involving the Omicron subvariants BA.2.12.1, BA.4 and BA.5 is on the rise.

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She that the overall proportion of the sub-variant cases remains low, there is evidence to show that BA.4 and BA.5 are not only more transmissible, but could lead to re-infection.

“People need to remain cautious,” she said.

Ten new cases involving the BA.2.12.1 sub-variant have been detected, along with eight that carried BA.4 or BA.5.

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Chuang also said 243 schools reported a total of 321 cases. Six of these schools have been asked to suspend face-to-face lessons in some classes for a week after at least two cases were detected in each class.

The total caseload from the fifth wave has now exceeded 1.243 million while the death tally is steady at 9,192 after no new Covid-related death was reported.

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Lawmaker calls for crackdown on illegal hawkers selling cooked food to FDHs

By The SUN

Stills from a video show the grimy and greasy food sold openly in Victoria Park
(The Standard photo)

A Hong Kong lawmaker has called on the government to stop the illegal hawking of cooked food at Victoria Park, targeting Indonesian domestic workers who hang out there on their days off.

The call by Doreen Kong of the Election Committee constituency which was published in The Standard online on Monday, Jul 4, was said to be based on her observation that many of the hawkers cook by the roadside, using ingredients that are uncovered and placed near discarded trash.

Kong was quoted as saying the operation created environmental health hazards, and could also lead to fire. Besides, they could potentially help in the spread of the coronavirus.

"It's ridiculous to tighten quarantines on the one hand, but being so dirty on the other hand,” Kong reportedly said.

The article came with a video of about a dozen hawkers selling food to passersby on the sidewalk of Victoria Park. The food is contained in overflowing pots and pans placed inside dirty-looking carton boxes.

FEHD agents seized 48 kilos of food abandoned by illegal hawkers in Victoria Park in January

Kong’s call was picked up a Filipino resident who is a keen observer of migrant workers’ activities especially on Sundays. She said she noticed some Filipinos doing the same thing near the outlying island piers or under some bridge in Central, and was concerned.

“It is not really hygienic,” she said. “And it is risky.”

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She noticed that the stove used by the hawkers for cooking the food they sell out in the open is often placed inside greasy cardboard boxes – presumably for easy getaway when law enforcers are in the vicinity- so the possibility of fire breaking out is high.

Hawking without a license is punishable with a fine of up to $10,000 and imprisonment for up to six months. Obstruction of a public place while hawking is also an offence, for which the maximum penalty is $5,000 fine and three months’ imprisonment.

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And even is a hawker has a fixed-pitch or itinerant licence, he or she is prohibited from cooking or heating any food without specific permission.

On top of this, every hawker is obliged to maintain cleanliness at all times, including providing enough bins to hold all the refuse generated by his business.

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With the surge in coronavirus cases in the first half of the year, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department has stepped up its enforcement of the hawking and hygiene regulations.

In a report published on Jun 6, the FEHD said that from the start of the year until the day before, a total of 180 fixed penalty notices each costing $5,000 were issued to persons who breached public cleanliness offences or caused obstruction in public places.

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In addition, nine persons were arrested and prosecuted for illegal hawking in public places, and 162 seizures of articles abandoned by hawkers, including cooked food, were effected.

Reports published on the government website indicated that between 34 to 48 kilos of food items were seized on each day of the operation.

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The seizures of abandoned food items were carried out mainly in Victoria Park while those prosecuted for illegal hawking also included offenders rounded up in the vicinity of Chater Road in Central.

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Mag-ingat at baka may karayom sa upuan ng bus

 

Magmasid bago umupo sa bus.

Mag-ingat kapag sasakay sa bus o minibus; baka matusok ka ng karayom na nakatanim sa upuan.

Kanina, isang pasahero na naman ang nabiktima matapos siyang sumakay sa 63B green minibus sa may malapit sa Tai Wai MTR station bandang ika-2 ng hapon. Naramdaman daw ng lalaki ang pagtusok ng karayom sa kanyang likod nang siya ay umupo.

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Nang makitang nagdurugo ang sugat niya, sinabi niya sa driver ang nangyari, at nakiusap na itigil ang sasakyan at tumawag ng pulis. 

Ito ang ikalimang kaso ng tanim-karayom na inireport sa pulis simula noong Mayo. Wala pang naaarestong suspect sa mga insidenteng ito.

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Noong May 23 isang batang nasa Primary 3 ang natusok sa puwet sa Aberdeen nang papasok siya sa eskuwela kasama ang kanyang nanay, sakay ang Citybus route 43M bandang  7:50 ng umaga. 

Hindi dumugo ang sugat, pero dinala ang bata sa ospital. 

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Isang katulad na insidente sa Tsuen Wan ang inireport ng isang lalaki sa pulis  noong May 25 pero mabuti at hindi siya nasugatan dahil sa kanyang bag bumaon ang karayom.

Sumakay ang lalaki sa bus 68M galing sa Yuen Long (West) at umupo sa upper deck. Inilapag niya ang dalang bag sa tabi niya.

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Nang bumaba sya sa bus terminal sa Sai Lau Kok Road sa Tsuen Wan, napansin niya ang karayom na nakatusok sa kanyang bag.

Noong 2018, matapos matusok din ng karayom ang tatlong pasahero ng KMB bus, ipinangako ng kumpanya na malulutas agad ang mga krimeng ito dahil may siyam na CCTV camera ang nakatutok sa lahat ng parte ng bus.

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Sa tulong ng mga security camera, nahuli ang lalaking pinangalanang Mok Cham-sum, 32. 

Ang dahilan niya sa pagtatanim ng karayom na nakatusok sa tatlong biktima noong 2018, ay gumaganti siya dahil hindi tumitigil ang bus sa ilang bus stop.

Hinatulan siya ng dalawang taong pagkakakulong.

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HK infection tally again falls below 2k, with 600 reported from schools

By The SUN

 

Schools reported more than 1/3 of all local infections because of the long holiday weekend

Health officials reported 1,841 new Covid infections Monday, with 196 of the cases imported.

Of the 1,645 local cases, 600 - or more than a third - were reported from 421 schools. They involved 485 students and 115 staff members.

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Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection said that while the number of cases from schools appeared to be unusually high, they were an accumulation of infections from the long holiday weekend.

Four schools were told to suspend certain classes for a week, after recording at least three infections each.  These are Ma Tau Chung Government Primary School, Leung Kui Kau Lutheran Primary School, Tung Koon School (Sheung Shui) and Sam Shui Natives Association Huen King Wing School.

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Two students at the Ma Tau Chung school were found to carry the more infectious BA.4 or BA.5 Omicron sub-variant which health experts say could become the main Covid strains in the city.

Five more residential care homes reported new infections, involving four residents and one staff member.

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Of the imported infections, an unusually high 145 cases were detected at the aiport, 37 at quarantine hotels and 14 after the seven-day hotel quarantine.

The total tally from the fifth wave has now gone past 1.24 million.

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No new death was reported, so the overall tally remains at 9,192.

Genome analysis showed 11 more cases involving the BA.4 or BA.5 sub-variants, while there were an additional 34 patients found to carry the BA.2.12.1 strain, of which 20 were untraceable.

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There are now 787 Covid patients admitted at public hospitals. They include 13 who are in critical condition, three of whom are in intensive care; while 15 are in serious condition.

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Bethune House shelters OFW kicked out in wee hours

By Daisy CL Mandap

 

Y had to cover her luggage with a trash bag to protect her stuff from the heavy rain

It was raining heavily on the evening of Jun 30, but this did not stop an employer from terminating the contract of Y, her Filipina domestic worker, then ordering her to leave immediately.

As if on purpose, the employer told the Filipina to leave just after midnight the next day, despite the hoisting of Storm Signal No 3 and a warning that a higher typhoon signal could be raised within hours.

Luckily, Y was referred to Bethune House Migrant Women’s Refuge the next day, so she was saved from having to spend another stormy night out on the street. Now she is fed, counseled and assured of help until she decides what to do next.

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According to Bethune’s executive director Edwina Antonio, migrant workers who are ordered to leave in the middle of the night should call the police immediately.

Not only will they be assured of not being thrown out onto the street with nowhere to go, the police report would also help bolster whatever action they may want to take next.

“Kapag pinalabas ng madaling-araw, tawag agad ng pulis. Sila ang gagawa ng report na magdedetalye kung kailan, anong oras at ano ang sitwasyon ng worker nang siya ay pababain,” said Antonio.

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(If you are driven out at dawn, call the police immediately. They will write up a report giving details as to when, what time and what was the condition of the worker when she was asked to leave).

Antonio also said it was unconscionable for the employer to have ordered the worker to leave that early as it was raining and so was doubly hard to move about and get a ride.

Their initial interview with Y showed she was actually relieved to have left the employer’s house as she was made to work under extremely difficult conditions, said Antonio.

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For the entire year that she had worked for the employer, Y said she was only given dinner, which meant her spending for her breakfast and lunch with no food allowance or extra pay.

Antonio says the worker was not given food for breakfast and lunch

When she started complaining, her employer reportedly dared her to serve a month’s notice, but since she was desperate to keep her job, she asked if she could make it a three-month notice. Irked, the employer told her to leave on the spot.

Y had no choice but to hurriedly pack her luggage, then wrap it with a black rubbish bag to prevent her clothes getting wet as it was raining heavily outside. She put her other belongings in a striped bag. As she had nowhere to go, she decided to spend the night in their building’s lobby.

The next day, she headed to North Point, where she was told there were a lot of cheap bed spaces in boarding houses run by Filipinos. Luckily it was a holiday, so there were a lot of domestic workers who were out and about, despite the bad weather.

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Among them was Beth, a member of an organization affiliated with Migrante Hong Kong who noticed the worker pulling a heavy luggage and some stuff amid the rain, and decided to ask if she needed help.

On being told that Y was looking for a place to stay and had gone without food since the night before, Beth immediately contacted Gabriela and Migrante to ask for available lodgings for distressed workers. Then she treated Y to a meal.

Told that Bethune House could take her in, Beth lost no time taking Y there as there were reports that Typhoon Signal 8 would be raised soon. They got there at about 6pm, and Beth had to leave immediately to avoid being stranded by the severe storm.

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Antonio could only praise Beth publicly for her compassion and quick thinking.

“A compassionate member of an organization saw her, fed her, called Gabriela and Migrante HK and was finally accompanied to Bethune House despite the heavy rain,” Antonio posted on Facebook.

“These are the women who are working for women's welfare. Thanks Beth, Gabriela and Migrante HK, we can always count on you.”

Needless to say, Bethune House, which has been serving migrant women in distress for nearly 36 years, deserves the bigger accolade.

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