Expert urges scrapping of CTNs as Covid tally falls below 8k

By The SUN

 

The daily tally dropped despite a feared surge over the 3-day holiday (GovHK photo)

Health officials reported 7,938 new Covid-19 infections on Monday, including 166 that were imported.

But 11 more patients died on Sunday, aged from 61 to 93 years old. Only one had triple vaccine doses, and five were unvaccinated.

The total number of patients receiving treatment at public hospitals remained fairly steady at 2,753.

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However, the number of patients in critical condition went up to 56, with four new patients being admitted in this condition. Among them, 14 are in intensive care.

Those listed as seriously ill surged to 65, after 15 new patients in this condition were admitted overnight.

Among those receiving intensive care is a 10-year-old boy who suffers from epilepsy. He received two vaccine doses.

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Echoing her statement yesterday, Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection said the daily tally seems to be on the way down but wanted against complacency.

“It is true that in the past few days, it appears that the figures have stabilised and come down, but we still have to monitor closely. We don’t yet know whether it has to do with the [public] holiday and whether there will be a rebound afterwards,” she said.

Chuang also said they needed to look into whether the now dominant Omicron variant, BA.5 has peaked. Currently it accounts for 68 percent of the cases, but experts say its share must go up to at least 80 percent before the outbreak could ease.

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Meanwhile, an infectious disease expert from the University of Hong Kong has called for the scrapping of compulsory testing for residents in buildings where the sewage tests positive for the virus or Covid patients are found.

Dr Ho Pak-leung pointed out that Covid patients are now allowed to isolate at home for a week, which would naturally mean positive sewage samples would be found in the buildings where they live.

Thus, it would be illogical to issue CTNs for residents of those buildings as it would contradict the policy that allows home isolation.

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Ho also said this runs contrary to Hong Kong’s overall strategy of shifting from cutting transmission chains to preventing serious illnesses and hospitalization.

Chuang said the government will consider experts’ views and make changes if necessary.

Of the 166 imported cases, 72 were detected at the airport, 50 during the three-day hotel quarantine, 40 between days 4 and 7, and four after, likely re-positive cases.

The infected travelers came from 40 countries, and the following had more than 10 cases each: United Kingdom, 20; United States, 23; the Philippines, 19; and Thailand, 11.

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Pinoy na overstay, nakaiwas sa kaso matapos humiling ng 'non-refoulement'

 

Nakaiwas sa pag-uusig sa Shatin Court ang Pilipinong overstay

Isang Pilipinong nag-overstay nang tatlong taon ang nakahanap ng paraan upang makaiwas sa pag-uusig sa korte sa salang paglabag sa kondisyon ng kanyang visa (o violation of condition of stay).

Iniurong ng taga-usig ang kaso laban kay Andres Maloles, 57 taong gulang, sa pagdinig noong Sept. 7 sa Shatin Magistrates’ Court. Ito ay dahil pinag-aaralan daw ng  mataas na hukuman ang kanyang aplikasyon para sa non-refoulement o pagtutol sa pagbabalik sa kanya sa Pilipinas.

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Habang nakabinbin ang aplikasyon niyang ito,  pinapayagan siyang manatili sa Hong Kong sa ilalim ng ilang mga kundisyon, katulad ng hindi siya maaring magtrabaho, at dapat mag report sa Immigration sa mga araw na itinakda.

Ito ang unang hakbang para makakuha ang isang dayuhan ng asylum - o ng karapatang mailipat sa isang bansang kakanlong sa kanya dahil nanganganib ang buhay o kaligtasan niya sa kamay ng mga ahente ng pamahalaan sa lugar na kanyang pinanggalingan.

Inaprubahan naman ni Acting Principal Magistrate David Cheung Chi-wai ang pag-urong ng demanda kay Maloles.

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Hindi sinabi ng taga-usig kung ano ang ginamit na dahilan ni Maloles upang kumbinsihin ang gobyerno ng Hong Kong na hindi siya dapat pauwiiin.

Ayon sa batas, maaring tutulan ng isang dayuhan ang pagpapauwi sa kanya sa pamamagitan ng refoulement, gamit ang dahilan na papatayin o sasaktan siya ng pamahalaan ng bansang kanyang pinanggalingan.

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Pero mahaba ang prosesong ito, at hindi agad naniniwala ang mga opisyal ng Immigration Department sa mga dahilang ginagamit ng mga aplikante upang bigyan sila ng non-refoulement status.

Ayon sa datos mula sa Immigration Department, isa lang sa bawa’t 100 na ganitong aplikasyon ang pumapasa.

Mula 2014 hanggang Abril 2020, 17,618 ang aplikasyong ganito na natanggap nila pero 179 lamang dito ang pumasa, kasama na ang 97 na unang tinanggihan ng Immigration pero tinaggap matapos iapela sa Torture Claims Appeal Board (TCAB).

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Unang dumating si Maloles sa Hong Kong bilang turista at lumipas ang kanyang visa noong May 13 2019.

Hindi siya umalis sa takdang araw, na kondisyon ng kanyang visa, hanggang mahuli siya ng Immigration noong April 4, 2022.

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Masks now optional when outdoors in the Philippines

By The SUN

 

Filipinos who went outdoors before were made to wear not just face masks, but also face shields

Wearing of face masks in non-crowded outdoor places is now optional in the Philippines, in line with Executive Order No 3 which was signed by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr today, Sept 12.

But masks will still be required when inside private or public establishments (such as restaurants and malls), all kinds of public transportation, and in any outdoor setting where it would be difficult to maintain physical distancing.

The move, which was proposed by the Inter-Agency Task Force on pandemic control and verbally approved by Marcos last Friday, became official with the signing of the EO.

Press secretary Trixie Angeles announced its being signed into law earlier today.

“The voluntary wearing of face masks in open spaces and non-crowded outdoor areas with good ventilation is hereby allowed, provided that not fully vaccinated individuals, senior citizens and immunocompromised individuals are highly encouraged to wear their masks and physical distancing will be observed at all times,” Angeles said.

The Philippines’ top medical experts opposed easing the masking requirement, saying it could send the wrong signal to the public that they should not be afraid of Covid-19 anymore, and should no longer go for vaccination.

Infectious disease expert Dr Rontgene Solante has warned that it is not yet time to allow people to take off their masks outdoors, even when Covid cases in the Philippines are on the decline.

Solante said it was because of the country’s strict mask-wearing policy that the number of Covid cases are now low, and suggested the government should focus more on boosting vaccinations instead of “tinkering” with anti-pandemic policies.

Dr Maricar Limpin, past president of the Philippine College of Physicians also expressed concern over the no-mask rule during a talk at a hotel in Makati City on Thursday, Sept. 8.

“It basically gives the impression to a lot of Filipinos that there’s no need…. ‘You should not be afraid of Covid-19 anymore and there’s no even need to vaccinate,’” said Dr. Limpin.

“So papaano na mangyayari sa booster campaign natin?,” she added. (So what will happen to our booster campaign?)

Even the officer-in-charge at the Department of Health, Dr. Maria Rosario Vergeire, was hesitant to endorse the IATF recommendation.

“The position of the DOH is for us to continue on masking, but there were several [pieces of] data that were also presented that led to this decision,” Vergeire said in a statement on Friday.

“We needed to balance between the health and economy, and what we have compromised would be, this will be done among low-risk individuals and in low-risk settings.”

She said then that the policy change was still recommendatory, and that high-risk individuals like senior citizens, people with comorbidities, children, unvaccinated and Covid-19 positive individuals would still be required to wear masks at all times when outdoors.

However, the EO that has just been signed does not make this qualified prohibition compulsory, meaning no one in the high-risk category could be penalized for not wearing a mask while in wide open spaces outdoors.

In recommending the radical policy shift, the IATF said only the Philippines and Myanmar are keeping the mask mandate among ASEAN countries.

Most countries in Europe as well as the United States have already dropped mandatory mask-wearing in public places, but this was largely because a big portion of their population have been vaccinated and boosted against Covid-19.

In the Philippines which has a population of around 110 million, over 72 million individuals have had two shots of a vaccine, but only 18.2 million, or 16% of the population, have received the booster jab.

As of Sept 7, the country’s “active infections” or those receiving treatment for Covid-19 infections, numbered 22,899, according to government data.

Not reflected are those with mild or no symptoms, including a big number of Filipinos, mostly foreign domestic workers, who found themselves infected when they took PCR tests in preparation for flying to Hong Kong.

And even if they managed to hurdle this pre-boarding test requirement, about 20 passengers from the Philippines on average test positive either on arrival at Hong Kong airport, during their three-day hotel quarantine, or subsequent four days of medical surveillance.

 

Employment agency loses licence after court upholds overcharging conviction

By The SUN

 

Labour prosecuted the agency staff for overcharging an FDH

An employment agency called Talent (Kenya) Company Limited had its licence revoked by the Employment Agencies Administration after its staff member lost an appeal against an overcharging conviction on Sept 6.

A statement from the Labour Department issued late on Friday said the employment agency returned its licence to EAA on Sept 8 after it ceased operations on Sept. 4.

“The Commissioner (for Labour) will cancel the licence of the EA according to Regulation 8 of the Employment Agency Regulations,” said the statement.

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The prosecution against the agency staff was initiated in 2019 after two foreign domestic helpers complained about the accused charging them an excessive commission. Following an investigation, the Labour Department initiated prosecution against the Talent (Kenya) personnel.

The staff denied the allegation but after trial, was convicted of overcharging an FDH and was fined $8,000 on May 31, 2021 at Shatin Magistrates’ Court. The accused appealed against the conviction but this was dismissed by the High Court last Tuesday.

Labour reminded employment agency operators to abide by the law and the provisions of the Code of Practice for EAs at all times.

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Under section 53(1) (e) (i) of the Employment Ordinance, the Commissioner for Labour (Commissioner) may revoke the licence of an EA if he is satisfied on reasonable grounds that staff of the agency has contravened any provision of the Employment Ordinance of did not comply with the CoP.

Under the CoP officers of an agency are required to closely supervise their staff, and could be held equally liable if someone in their employ is found to have violated the EO and/or standards in the CoP.

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Labour said it will check whether the EA's operator  or related persons, as well as staff, have any relevant conviction record when processing applications for issue and renewal of an EA licence,  so as to prevent offenders from operating the same business again.

For enquiries about matters related to EAs or complaints about their malpractice, please call the Employment Agencies Administration of the LD at 2115 3667, or visit its office at Unit 906, 9/F, One Mong Kok Road Commercial Centre, 1 Mong Kok Road, Kowloon.

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Kaso, inatras laban sa Pinay na nagnakaw ng bitamina

Ng The SUN

 

Nangako ang Pilipina sa Eastern Court na hindi na muling lalabag sa batas

Nabigyan ng isa pang pagkakataon ang isang Pilipinang domestic helper matapos umamin sa pagnanakaw ng dalawang bote ng vitamins mula sa isang supermarket sa Sai Ying Pun noong Mayo ng kasalukuyang taon.

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Inatras ng tagausig noong Biyernes, Sept 9, ang kasong pagnanakaw na isinampa laban kay J.A. Morales sa kundisyong babayaran niya ang $614 na halaga ng mga bitaminang ninakaw niya, at mangakong hindi na muling lalabag sa batas sa loob ng isang taon, kundi ay magbabayad siya ng karagdagang $1,000.

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Si Morales, 40 taong gulang, ay nahuli matapos nakawin ang mga bote ng bitamina mula sa Market Place sa Sai Ying Pun noong May 23.

Sa kanyang ikalawang pagharap sa harap ni Principal Magistrate Ada Yim ay inamin ni Morales ang sakdal, dahilan para pumayag ang tagausig na ilagay siya sa ilalim ng “bind over” na kasunduan.

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Ibig sabihin, hindi siya magkakaroon ng criminal record kung hindi niya lalabagin ang pangakong hindi na muling gagawa ng krimen.

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Temperature checks at airport eased, local air crew to skip quarantine

By The SUN

 

Transit and departing passengers will no longer be subject to temperature checks

Hong Kong stopped its practice of conducting temperature screening on departing or transit passengers at the airport starting Saturday, Sept. 10.

A statement released by the government late on Friday said that this was due to the gradual lifting of Covid-19 prevention and control requirements in overseas places.

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However, the temperature checks on people entering Hong Kong as well as passengers leaving for the Mainland of Macau, will remain in place.

The move followed an advice from the United States’ Consulate on its citizens to avoid transiting in Hong Kong “due to the risk of being denied boarding, removed from the airport, and sent to a Hong Kong government managed facility if local authorities determine you are exhibiting symptoms of Covid while in transit.”

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The advisory said there had been instances when transiting passengers were not allowed to board their flights and forcibly taken to a government isolation facility after being found to have an elevated temperature.

But the government said the temperature screening was in line with the World Health Organization’s advice issued in February 2020 in a bid to identify symptomatic persons early.

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"Symptomatic persons should avoid travelling, so that they would not put themselves and others at risk,” said the statement.

At the same time, the government announced that locally based air crew will be allowed to skip quarantine if they test negative on their arrival at the airport. However, they will still be subject to regular testing after entering the community.

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These air crew will also be required to continue to comply with the closed-loop arrangements during their layover in overseas places or Taiwan.

Airlines that fail to make their crew conform to these rules will have their eligibility to the quarantine exemptions revoked.

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Meanwhile, the Covid caseload dropped slightly on Saturday to 9,787 - which included 185 imported cases.

The in-patient tally remained around the 2,700 level, among whom 16 are in intensive care.

Eight more Covid patients have died, with the youngest a 21-year-old man who was chronically ill.

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Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection again urged the public to refrain from joining family gatherings during the Mid-Autumn Festival, saying they do not want to see another surge in infections because of this.

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Tinerminate matapos magka Covid-19 sa Pilipinas, humihingi ng hustisya

Ni Daisy CL Mandap

 

Ang patunay na nagpositibo sa Covid si Ibanez sa takdang araw ng kanyang pagbalik sa HK 

Isa na namang Pilipina na domestic worker ang humihingi ng tulong dahil tinerminate daw siya matapos siyang magka Covid-19 habang nakabakasyon sa Pilipinas.

Paalis na sana si Nenith Ibanez, 47, sa Pilipinas noong Aug 3 matapos ang isang buwan na bakasyon nang matanggap niya ang resulta ng kanyang PCR test na positibo siya sa coronavirus sa mismong araw ng kanyang lipad papunta ng Hong Kong.

Binigyan siya ng medical certificate ng health officer ng Antipolo City na nagsasabi na nag home quarantine siya mula Aug. 3 hanggang Aug 16. Matapos ito ay sinabi sa sulat na wala na siyang sintomas kaya maari na siyang bumalik sa trabaho.

Sabi ni Ibanez ay pinaalam niya sa employer ito, at nanghingi ng ilang araw para ayusin ang kanyang mga papeles pabalik, pero pinadalhan daw siya ng sulat noong Aug 18 at sinabing terminated na siya.

Pagkatapos niyang ipaalam sa Overseas Workers Welfare Administration na gusto niyang ireklamo ang pag terminate sa kanya ay pinayuhan siya ni welfare officer Virsie Tamayao na sumulat sa Labour Department gamit ang kanilang website para dito.

“Sumasagot naman sila agad kahit online,” sabi ni Tamayao. “May ilan na ring nakasingil ng dapat na ibayad sa kanila kahit wala sila sa Hong Kong.”

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Kailangan lang daw na may italagang kinatawan ang FDH sa Hong Kong para makipag-ugnayan sa Labour at tanggapin ang anumang dapat ibayad sa kanya.

Ayon sa pahayag na ipinalabas ng Labour Department noong Feb 24, hindi maaring i-terminate ng employer ang isang foreign domestic helper na nagkasakit ng Covid-19 at may sick leave, maliban na lang kung may ginawa itong seryosong paglabag sa kanyang pinirmahang obligasyon.

Bukod dito ay dapat ding bayaran ang FDH sa panahong ito ay nagpapagaling o naka sick leave.

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Ayon sa Labour, ang pag terminate sa FDH na may sick leave ay isang paglabag sa Employment Ordinance, at maari din daw kasuhan ang employer sa ilalim ng Disability Discrimination Ordinance.

Ang isang employer na lumabag sa batas na ito ay maaring patawan ng multa ng hanggang $100,000 at hindi payagang kumuha muli ng FDH sa loob ng itinakdang panahon.

Narito ang buong pahayag tungkol dito: https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202202/24/P2022022400323.htm

Pinadala ni Ibanez sa employer niya ang patunay na naka quarantine sya ng 14 na araw

Ayon naman sa sulat na ipinadala ng employer sa Immigration ay pinutol nito ang kanilang kontrata dahil hindi daw sumasagot sa kanilang tawag o messages si Ibanez at hindi rin malinaw kung kailan nito balak bumalik sa Hong Kong.

Sagot naman ni Ibanez, kasalukuyan pa siyang naka-quarantine ay panay na ang tanong ng kanyang employer kung kailan siya babalik.

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“Nag reply naman po ako kahit naka under quarantine pa ako kaso paulit-ulit lang ang sinasabi nila kaya yung iba binabasa ko na lang,” sabi ni Ibanez sa isang sanaysay.

“Ten days pa lang akong naka quarantine ay gusto na niya akong mag RAT (rapid antigen test) at magpagawa ng fully recovered letter sa doctor. Nguni’t ipinaliwanag ko sa kanya na hindi pwede ang gusto niya dahil dapat 14-60 days ang nasa certificate (dapat) mag-boarding sa Hong Kong.”

Sa Hong Kong kasi, kung mag negatibo sa ika-6 at 7 araw sa RAT ang isang maysakit ay maari na itong ideklara na magaling na. Para makasakay sa eroplano ay kailangan lang niya ipakita ang patunay sa isang doctor na magaling na siya, at negatibong resulta mula sa RAT.

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Pero ayon kay Ibanez, ang sabi sa kanya sa Pilipinas ay hindi siya mabibigyan ng certificate na magaling na siya at “fit to work” hanggang hindi nasisiguro na wala na siyang sintomas pagkatapos ng hindi kukulangin ng 14 na araw.

Gayunpaman, nakiusap daw siya sa amo niyang bigyan siya ng isa pang linggo matapos ang kanyang quarantine para ayusin ang mga dokumento niya para makalipad, at kung maayos niya bago ang takdang palugit ay sasabihin niya agad para ma rebook ang kanyang air ticket at hotel quarantine, pero hindi daw ito pumayag.

Nang hindi niya makumpirma na makakaalis siya agad ay tinerminate siya.

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Nagsilbi ng limang taon at kalahati sa kanyang mga amo si Ibanez, pero binayaran naman daw ang para sa kanyang long service. Pero ang sinabing isang buwang sweldo niya kapalit ang abiso ay $2,000 pa lang ang binibigay sa kanya.

Bukod dito ay sinabihan siyang kailangan na niyang kunin ang mga damit niya na naiwan sa bahay nila ng hindi lalampas sa Sept 10 dahil may kapalit na siya at kailangan ng paglalagyan ng sariling gamit. Kapag hindi daw niya ipinakuha sa takdang araw ay itatapon ang mga ito.

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Dahil wala siyang mapakiusapan sa mga kaibigan na kumuha ng kanyang mga gamit ay nakiusap si Ibanez sa OWWA na tulungan siyang maipadala ang mga ito sa Pilipinas dahil may mga mahahalagang bagay daw na nandoon.

Nangako naman si WelOf Tamayao na tatawagan ang employer para masiguro na maipadala ang mga gamit niya nang maayos.

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