HK records over 14k Covid cases

 By The SUN

It's the 4th straight day that the daily tally has topped 10k

Health authorities on Saturday said they had recorded 14,377 new Covid-19 infections, including 698 imported ones.

Another 21 Covid patients have died.

Among those recently reported as having come down with the coronavirus was Labour Secretary Chris Sun, who had been in isolation since Friday after one of his family members tested positive.

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The daily tally was significantly higher than the 13,924 reported on Friday, and marked the fourth straight day that the caseload had topped 10,000.

However, a health expert said Hong Kong should now be regarded as living with Covid-19 because he estimates that over 90 percent of people living here may have been infected already.

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Dr David Hui said that although the daily tally has gone up to more than 10,000, most of the patients only have mild symptoms, and only about 20 are in serious or critical condition.

With its high vaccination rate, the city has already built a barrier against severe symptoms. But there is still a need to boost vaccination to further maintain the low number of people getting seriously ill because of Covid.

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He suggested that the anti-pandemic rules be eased some more, saying that because of the high transmissibility of the Omicron variant, the number of infections is bound to go up.

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Mga migrante sa HK at Middle East, nanawagan na ibasura ang OEC

 Ng The SUN

Sa simbahan naglalagi ang mga tumutulong sa mga OFW na makakuha ng OEC

Nagkaisa ang mga migranteng manggagawa sa Hong Kong at Middle East na ipanawagan ang pagbabasura sa overseas employment certificate (OEC) dahil diumano ay hindi naman ito kailangan, at sobrang pasakit sa kanila ang pagkuha nito.

Isinagawa ang panawagan sa isang online na pagpupulong nitong Biyernes na ipinatawag ng Migrante International.

Sa kanyang pangunang salita, sinabi ni Dolores Balladares Pelaez, pinuno ng United Filipinos in Hong Kong (Migrante), na dahil malapit na ang Pasko at nagluwag ng mga patakaran kontra sa Covid-19 ang HK ay maraming OFW ang nakatakdang umuwi sa Pilipinas, at dahil dito ay kailangang kumuha ng OEC.

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Pero hindi sila basta-basta makakakuha nito dahil kailangan nila ng appointment bago sila makapasok sa Philippine Overseas Labor Office o Polo, sabi ni Pelaez.

“Marami ang gustong kumuha ng OEC mula sa Konsulado, pero dahil wala silang appointment ay hindi sila natulungan,” dagdag niya.

Ipinarating na raw ng grupo niya kay Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople ang kanilang pakiusap na tanggalin na ang OEC pero wala daw silang sagot na natanggap.

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Dahil maraming reklamo ang natatanggap nila mula sa mga OFW na kumukuha ng OEC ay nagdesisyon ang Unifil-Migrante kamakailan na magprotesta laban dito tuwing araw ng Linggo, na siyang araw ng pahinga ng maraming migrante.

Ayon naman kay Marites Palma, na nagtatag ng grupong Social Justice for Migrant Workers, sa tinagal-tagal niya sa Hong Kong ay hindi pa rin nawawala ang problema sa OEC. Mas lumala pa raw nang i-“digitize” ito dahil marami sa mga may edad na katulad niya ang hirap sumabay sa makabagong teknolohiya.

Inilahad ni Palma ang kanyang naging karanasan noong umuwi siya sa kanilang bayan sa Isabela para magbakasyon, at nagdesisyon na doon na lang kumuha ng OEC. Nang sabihin sa kanya na kailangan niyang magpakita ng patunay na miyembro siya Pag-IBIG Fund para maka kuha ng OEC ay kinailangan niyang magbyahe ng 100 kilometro dahil walang malapit na opisina ng Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (OWWA) sa kanila.

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Sa maramdaming boses ay tinanong ni Palma kung ano ba talaga ang silbi ng OEC gayong may kontrata at visa naman na maaring ipakita ang isang OFW bilang patunay na siya ay isang lehitimong manggagawa sa labas ng bansa.

Ayon naman kay Marigold, napilitan siyang magbayad na lang ng $60 sa isa sa mga tindahan sa ibaba ng Konsulado para lang makakuha ng OEC. Pero laking gulat niya nang makita na mali ang kasarian na nakasulat sa ibinigay sa kanyang OEC. Ayaw na raw itong palitan nung nasa tindahan.

Malungkot na karanasan din tungkol sa OEC ang ibinahagi ni Ludy na nasa Dubai. Sinubukan daw niyang kumuha nito online, pero dahil hindi siya agad nasagot sa katanungan niya ay nagdesisyon siyang umuwi na lang at doon na asikasuhin ang pagkuha nito.

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Pero muntik na raw siyang hindi nakabalik dahil ayaw siyang bigyan ng OEC sa punong tanggapan ng POEA at wala daw silang record na na verify ang kontrata niya dito. Dahil dito ay pumasok daw sa isipan niya na umalis na lang sa bansa na parang turista para makabalik sa trabaho niya.

“But why would I do that if the government is efficient? It's just so stupid... When our government does this, we will not have a chance to be hired as talents... Companies will rethink why they are hiring Filipinos with all this hassle.” (Pero bakit ko ito gagawin kung napapatakbo nang maayos ang gobyerno? Isa itong kabobohan. Kung ipagpapatuloy na gawin ito ng gobyerno ay hindi na tayo makukuha sa ibang lugar dahil sa ating galing. Mag-iisip na ang mga kumpanya na kuning manggagawa ang isang Pilipino dahil sa aberyang ito.”

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Ayon naman kay Mark Aquino ng Migrante Middle East ay isang kalamidad na gawa ng tao ang OEC, at dahil dito ay nagdurusa ang mga OFW.

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17 arrested in anti-illegal work operations

 

Suspected illegal workers are led to police buses after the raids.

Hong Kong’s campaign against illegal work netted 17 persons in operations conducted on Dec. 5 to 8, the Immigration Department reported today.

Of those arrested, 10 were suspected illegal workers, two suspected employers, three overstayers, one illegal immigrant and one suspected aider and abettor.

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Their arrests were made by Immigration during a series of territory-wide anti-illegal worker operations codenamed "Lightshadow" and "Twilight", and in joint operations with the Hong Kong Police Force codenamed "Champion" and "Powerplayer".

In the Immigration operations, officers raided 53 target locations including commercial buildings, a garage, a massage parlor, a residential building, restaurants and a warehouse.

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They arrested eight suspected illegal workers and one suspected employer. The arrested workers comprised four men and four women, aged 38 to 53. Among them, three women were holders of recognisance forms, which prohibit them from taking any employment. One woman was suspected of using and being in possession of Hong Kong identity cards related to another person.

One man, aged 54, was afrested for employing the workers. One man, aged 22, was also arrested fr aiding and abetting persons who breached the condition of stay in Hong Kong.

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In operations "Champion" and "Powerplayer", officers raided 24 target locations in Central district and New Territories North Region including a garage, a restaurant and a warehouse.

They arrested two suspected illegal workers, one suspected employer, three overstayers and one illegal immigrant.

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The suspected illegal workers comprised two men, aged 31 and 35. Among them, one man was a holder of a recognizance form, which prohibits him from taking any employment. One man, aged 40, was suspected of employing the illegal workers. Three female overstayers, aged 33 to 54, were arrested.

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Furthermore, one male illegal immigrant was also arrested. In addition, he was suspected of using and being in possession of a false instrument. Among them, two suspected illegal workers, two overstayers and one suspected employer were handled by the ImmD. 

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Christmas installations open at 7 harborfront sites

 

The jazz-themed display at HarbourChill in Wanchai 

Members of the public, including OFWs, can now enjoy – for free – the Christmas pop-up installations and various activities that the government has organized at seven harborfront sites in Hong Kong.

The Christmas installations and activities being organized for them by the government’s Development Bureau and the Harbourfront Commission under the concept of Harborfront is One and All, are sponsored by the Hong Kong Jockey Club as one of the initiatives to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

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The installations are at the following places:

The kiddie-themed display at Belcher Bay Promenade in Kennedy Town

• The Belcher Bay Promenade in Kennedy Town.
• The Connector in Admiralty along the promenade between Tamar Park and the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
• The HarbourChill in Wan Chai.
• The Water Sports and Recreation Precinct in Wan Chai.
• The Revitalised Typhoon Shelter Precinct in Causeway Bay.

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• The East Coast Park Precinct in Fortress Hill.
• The Tsuen Wan Promenade.

Each of the sites has been turned into Christmas performance stages where the public can enjoy the shows with the dazzling harbor as a backdrop.

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​At the HarbourChill in Wan Chai, for example, a gigantic 11-meter-tall waltz-themed Christmas tree is accompanied by Christmas orchestral music from a music box to create a romantic atmosphere;

At the Belcher Bay Promenade in Kennedy Town, local artist Messy Desk has designed a colorful, pop music-themed Christmas tree. Children can play in the music tunnels under the tree and ride the mini music carts.

The Connector in Admiralty is decorated with snowy lights and Christmas sledges, as well as a Christmas tree showcasing the graceful dancing posture of ballerinas to portray the ballet theme.

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The highlight of the Water Sports and Recreation Precinct in Wan Chai is a Christmas tree made of LED lights with rock music as the theme. Brightly-colored inflatable installations of rock music instruments further inject a Christmas vibe.

Christmas rock 'n roll is the theme of the Wanchai Watersports & Recreation Precinct

At the Typhoon Shelter Precinct in Causeway Bay, a ribbon-wrapped Christmas tree presents an elegant swirling visual effect, where people can imitate different ribbon dance postures.

Under the theme of jazz music, the Christmas tree at the East Coast Park Precinct in Fortress Hill is made of metal chimes of various lengths, transforming it into a percussion instrument. A number of three-dimensional Christmas installations are also available.

The Christmas tree at the Fortress Hill waterfront is made up of musical chimes

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The Tsuen Wan Promenade carries the theme of tap dancing. Adorable little penguins showing tap dancing poses bring a lively rhythm to the promenade.

The Government and the Harbourfront Commission will arrange music shows, ribbon dance performances and Christmas workshops at four harbourfront sites, namely the Belcher Bay Promenade in Kennedy Town, the HarbourChill in Wan Chai, the Water Sports and Recreation Precinct in Wan Chai and the Tsuen Wan Promenade, for three consecutive weekends starting tomorrow (December 10).

For details on the activities, visit the Harbourfront Commission’s website (www.hfc.org.hk/en/hss/index.html).

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Mga parating na FDH, 5 araw na lang ang testing at isolation

The SUN

 

5 araw na lang ang rapid test at isolation ng mga FDH na hindi agad pinapatuloy sa bahay ng amo

Simula ngayong araw ng Biyernes, Dec. 2, ay paiiksiin na sa lima, mula sa pitong araw, ang panahon na kailangang manatili sa hotel o boarding house ng mga foreign domestic workers na bagong dating sa Hong Kong at hindi agad pinapatuloy sa bahay ng employer.

Ibig sabihin, limang araw na lang din sila kailangang mag rapid antigen test (RAT) imbes na pito. Pero mananatili ang regulasyon na dapat silang mag PCR test pagdating sa airport, at sa Day 2 o sa ikalawang araw ng kanilang pagdating. 

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Ito ay mula sa pahayag ng Labour Department na inilabas kagabi.

Pero nilinaw din ng LD na yung mga pinadiretso sa bahay ng kanilang employer ay maari nang lumabas para mamalengke o sumakay sa mga pampublikong sasakyan kahit naka yellow vaccine pass sila sa unang tatlong araw ng kanilang pagdating.

Ang hindi lang nila maaring gawin ay pumasok sa mga restaurant o ibang lugar na tinatawag na “high risk” katulad ng mga ospital at korte kung saan dikit-dikit ang mga tao.

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Ang limang araw na pananatili sa loob ng kanilang kuwarto ay ipapatupad lamang kapag pinili ng employer na huwag munang dumiretso sa bahay nila ang kanilang paparating na FDH, at manatili sa isang hotel o boarding house.

Sa loob ng panahong ito ay dapat bayaran ng employer ang tinutuluyan ng FDH at bigyan sya ng food allowance. Dapat din niyang bayaran ng buo ang suweldo ng FDH.

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Ang mga nasa hotel na bago ipatupad ang bagong patakaran ay maari pa ding kumpletuhin ang pitong araw ng kanilang pananatili.

Kapag nakatanggap ng negative na resulta sa RAT ang isang bagong dating ay magiging blue o asul na ang kanilang vaccine pass, na ang ibig sabihin ay maari na silang magpunta sa kahit anong pampublikong lugar.

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Ipinaalala din ng gobyerno na kailangan pa ring magpakita ng negative na resulta sa RAT na kinuha ng hindi lalampas sa 24 oras bago ang takdang paglipad, ang sinumang darating sa Hong Kong mula sa ibang bansa, kabilang ang mga FDH.

Dapat din nilang kumpletuhin ang “Health & Quarantine Information Declaration” ng Department of Health (www.chp.gov.hk/hdf) bago sila sumakay ng eroplano papunta sa Hong Kong.

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Para sa mga karagdagang detalye, basahin lang ang pahayag ng gobyerno tungkol dito: www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202212/08/P2022120800701.htm.

Maari ding tumawag sa 24-hour hotline ng Labour Department, 2717 1771 o mag email safdh-enquiry@labour.gov.hk o mensahe sa kanilang website: www.fdh.labour.gov.hk.

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