Banks offer ‘double your money’ to residents who register for 10k doleout

By The SUN

 

Hang Seng is offering cash incentives of $10k and $9k from Jun 21 to Sept 30

At least two major banks in Hong Kong are offering to give residents who register with them in applying for the $10,000 cash payout from the government.

The offers were posted after the government announced today, Jun 8, that online registration for the cash subsidy given to all permanent residents of Hong Kong aged 18 and above, will start at 7am on Jun 21.

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The earliest date entitled residents can receive the payment is on Jul 8.

To claim the handout, applicants can apply through the website, e-banking service, or application forms of any of the 21 participating banks, and the cash will be deposited directly into their sole bank account.

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In a bid to get more people to register their payout claim with them, Hang Seng Bank and Standard Chartered both announced a promotion that offers an extra $10,000 for some lucky applicants.

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Hang Seng said it will randomly select a total of 9,005 customers who have registered for the Cash Payout Scheme to receive cash rewards, including five customers who will get an additional $10,000 and 20 customers who will get an additional $9,000.

The promotion will run from Jun 21 to Sept 30.

Standard Chartered will pick 3 lucky winners of $10k each from Jun 21 to Aug 15

Also running a promotion is Standard Chartered, which is offering a double your money deal to three lucky customers per week, during its promotion which will run from Jun 21 to Aug. 15.

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The other participating banks are Bank of China, Bank of Communications, Bank of East Asiam, CITIC Bank, Construction Bank, Chiyu Bank, Chong Hing Bank, Citibank, CMB Wing Lung Bank, Dah Sing Bank, DBS Bank, Fubon Bank, HSBC, ICB, Nanyang Bank, OCBC Wing Hang Bank, Public Bank, Shanghai Commercial Bank, and ZA Bank.

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Those who don’t have a sole bank account in Hong Kong and all others who prefer to receive the payment with a cheque can register with Hongkong Post and collect it in person at the post office.

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Hong Kong churches hold Sunday masses again after 4-month break

By Daisy CL Mandap

Everyone must wear a mask during the service, and to keep distance from the next person

June 7 marked the first Sunday when public masses were again held in Catholic churches across Hong Kong, after being halted for nearly four months due to the coronavirus outbreak.

But weekday masses started six days earlier, after the Catholic Diocese outfitted churches to comply with the government’s social distancing measures.

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The new rules include limiting the number of people inside a church at no more than 50% of its normal capacity, and worshippers are to put on face masks and cleanse their hands with sanitizer.

In addition, seats are kept at least a meter apart, no hymnals or mass booklets are distributed or left on the pews, seats are cleansed and disinfected after each mass, the host during communion is received only by hand, and the sign of peace is expressed by bowing heads, instead of kissing or shaking hands.

The ubiquitous hand sanitizer which worshippers are asked to use before and after taking communion

In his video-recorded message on May 22 to announce the resumption of public masses, Catholic Cardinal John Tong said that those who fear contracting the virus may continue attending online masses during which they can receive “spiritual Communion.”

Alternatively, they can attend mass on a weekday in lieu of Sunday, given the limited number of seats inside churches as part of the anti-Covid measures.

Cardinal Tong said he decided on the measures that needed to be taken after consulting with medical professionals.

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The holding of public masses or services was suspended by most churches in Hong Kong since Feb. 15 on the advice of the government, as the coronavirus contagion in China became more severe.

Schools were also closed at the same time, while civil servants doing non-emergency work were told to work from home.

The churches were supposed to stop holding public masses for only two weeks, but as the coronavirus began spreading in Hong Kong and in many other parts of the world, the suspension was extended indefinitely.

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Churches remained open during set hours, however, but only for private prayers and meditation.

In place of public masses, churches started holding live broadcasts of their daily services through the internet.

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One of the priests whose daily masses were livestreamed through the internet was Fr. Jay Flandez, chaplain of Filipinos, who was assisted by the El Shaddai group and some seminarians during the service.

Sunday masses at the Cathedral in Mid-Levels were also made available online.

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The online options got wider when most big churches in the Philippines also began airing their masses via the internet, after they were forced to shut amid the rising number of Covid-19 infections in the country.

Only three people are allowed to seat in each pew

Despite many people in Hong Kong saying they missed going to an actual mass instead of “attending” one online, many of the seats in church today were empty.

It may be because of the heavy rain that poured throughout the day, but it could also be because people had gotten used to hearing mass on demand, in the comfort of their homes.

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Filipina who just arrived from Manila tests positive for Covid-19 in HK

By The SUN

The Filipina was tested on arrival at Hong Kong International Airport on Jun 6 

A 25-year-old Filipina who recently arrived from Manila was reported on Sunday, Jun 7, as Hong Kong’s 1,107^th case of Covid-19.

The woman, apparently a migrant worker as she is said to live in the Philippines, had no symptoms when she arrived at Hong Kong International Airport on Saturday, Jun 6.

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But she was found to have the virus after undergoing mandatory testing at AsiaWorld-Expo, and was taken straight to Princess Margaret Hospital for treatment.

She was among a handful of people, all asymptomatic, who were found to have coronavirus on arrival in Hong Kong from Manila. 

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One of the most recent was a Filipina domestic worker who went to WorldWide House in Central from the airport, and was found infected two days later, after she had started her home quarantine in Taipo.

Another was a male student who tested positive a day after undergoing home quarantine in Tung Chung.

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The Centre for Health Protection said during its daily briefing that almost 1,400 tests had been carried out among residents of a building in a Shatin housing estate where a recent cluster of local cases had broken out, but all came back negative.

But nine samples are being collected again because of what officials had described as a “leakage.”

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Seven residents of the housing block in Lek Yuen estate were found to have the virus during tests last week. As a result, around 100 residents of flats numbered 12 and 10, where the infections had occurred, were evacuated and taken to quarantine centers.

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But residents of three flats could not be located, and health authorities have sent out an appeal for them to come forward so they could be tested.

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3 new Covid-19 infections reported in HK

By The SUN

Two new patients flew in from Pakistan, the third one from Britain (file photo by Marites Palma)

Hong Kong has reported three more imported cases of Covid-19 infections, bringing the total tally to 1,105.

Two of the patients, aged 17 and 47, returned from Pakistan. The third, a 26-year-old female, flew in from Britain.

All three reported having symptoms, like fever, cough, and loss of sense of taste or smell.

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But the returnee from Britain said she developed symptoms in mid-March, but was asymptomatic when she arrived in Hong Kong.

There were no local cases reported today, Jun 6.

But this did not stop Shatin residents from demanding a halt in the re-opening of classes in primary and secondary grades this coming Monday, Jun 8.

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The housing estate where a local outbreak occurred last week involving six residents, is located in the district.

Two dozen student concern groups from secondary schools in Shatin have urged a further suspension of classes, one day after 30 district councilors issued a similar warning.

The councilors said it will be hard to maintain social distancing among the young students, so the infection risk is high.

 

The  source of the infection in Luk Chuen House is still  unknown

The source of the infection in Luk Chuen House in Lek Yuen estate is still not known, but an infectious disease expert said the virus must have been spread partly by exhaust fans.

The index patient, a 34-year-old woman, lives in a flat numbered 12, along with her husband, who also tested positive. Two other patients live in separate flats, both numbered 12 as well. Another lives in a flat numbered 10.

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The expert said that since the first confirmed patient lives in a floor below the other infected patients, it was not likely the virus spread through the sewage pipes as was previously thought.

Two other infected residents live on the same floor as the first reported patient, though with different numbered flats. Experts say the contamination must have also come from frequently touched surfaces, like the lift buttons.

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As a precaution, health officials evacuated 75 residents from flats numbered 12 and 10 in the building.

It also conducted 1,363 tests on other residents, but all came back negative, except for the confirmed cases.

Residents of four household who appear to have fled their flats are now being sought so they could also be tested.

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Congen Tejada sees off 80 stranded OFWs bound for Mla at HK Airport

By Daisy CL Mandap

A big delegation from the Consulate led by Congen Tejada saw off the OFWs  at HK Airport

A total of 80 Filipino domestic workers who were stuck in Hong Kong because of flight cancellations managed to get on a Cathay Pacific plane bound for Manila early today, Jun 6, after getting help from the Consulate.

Consul General Raly Tejada personally bid goodbye to them at the airport, along with some of his staff and officers from the Philippine Overseas Labor Office.

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The Consulate contingent gave free food to the departing overseas Filipino workers, and stayed on until all had boarded their CX 907 flight which departed at 7:20am.

ConGen Tejada said in response to an inquiry via messenger that the passengers could not leave earlier because of repeated flight cancellations by Cathay and Hong Kong Airlines.

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Both airlines never stopped flying daily to Manila, except for the days when the Philippine government halted inbound flights in order to decongest quarantine facilities where around 30,000 newly returned OFWs were kept for up to two months.

HK Airport was buzzing as the OFWs checked in for their 7:20am flight

Last week, 24,000 of those who tested negative for the coronavirus were finally allowed to leave the facilities and proceed to their respective hometowns where they put under another 14-day quarantine.

The air fare for the OFWs who flew home today was reportedly paid for by their respective employers, in line with Hong Kong’s labour law.

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The flight was a mix of passengers with previously cancelled tickets, those with future flights that had been rebooked, and those with regular bookings for today. The Consulate merely consolidated their flights so they could leave as a group.

 

Congen Tejada (with glasses) held  the Philippine flag aloft in a final goodbye to the OFWs 

According to Consul Paul Saret, head of the Consulate’s assistance to nationals section, a second batch of OFWs will leave on Jun 10 on the same flight, CX 907.

Immigration figures show nearly 7,000 Filipino domestic workers have lost their jobs since February, when the first coronavirus cases were reported in Hong Kong.

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Their numbers declined the most between March and April, when more than 3,000 lost their jobs.

However, recruitment agencies say up to 15,000 Hong Kong-bound workers are just waiting for the travel restrictions to ease further in the Philippines before flying out.

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