HK classifies 7 more African countries as high risk amid new variant scare

By The SUN 

Only Hong Kong residents from the 8 African countries will be allowed to enter

From midnight today, Nov 27, non-Hong Kong residents who have stayed in South Africa and seven other African countries within 21 days will be barred from entering the SAR to guard against the importation of a newly discovered coronavirus variant.

This is after Hong Kong relegated Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe to category A, or high-risk countries. South Africa is already in this category.

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A government statement released late Friday said the variant B.1.1.529 has been detected in South Africa and Botswana.

The statement said that although scientists are not fully certain of the impact mutant variant on the epidemic situation or whether the relevant mutations would affect the efficacies of vaccines, Hong Kong needs to remain vigilant.

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The variant sparked concern in the city after a returning resident from South Africa was detected with the variant, which he then passed on to a man from Canada who had stayed in a room opposite to his in Regal Airport Hotel in Chek Lap Kok.

However, 12 other people who had stayed on the same floor of the hotel and were transferred to Penny's Bay Quarantine Centre have so far tested negative for the mutated virus.

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With the eight southern African countries specified as Group A specified places, non-Hong Kong residents including visitors who have stayed there within 21 days are not allowed to enter Hong Kong.

For Hong Kong residents, they can only board a flight for the SAR if they have been fully vaccinated and hold a recognized vaccination record, and have confirmed booking for their 21-day quarantine in a designated quarantine hotel.

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The control and prevention measures applicable to these places under the prevailing mechanism are more stringent than the measures announced recently by the United Kingdom, Singapore, and Israel, the government said.

Details on the relevant boarding and compulsory quarantine requirements for respective specified places can be found at www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/inbound-travel.html.
 
The government will gazette the relevant updated specifications under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Regulation of Cross-boundary Conveyances and Travelers) Regulation (Cap. 599H) to effect the above measures.

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The SUN is 10th among Top 15 HK news websites

By Daisy CL Mandap 

The SUN marks its 26th year next month

The SUN has notched another achievement, placing 10^th in the list of the Top 15 Hong Kong News Websites selected by independent website content reader, Feedspot.

The SUN placed above much bigger media news organizations like Ming Pao, Al Jazeera Hong Kong and BBC News Hong Kong.

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The SUN is also the lone online publication in the list with a niche following, as it mainly targets Filipino migrants, particularly those who are in Hong Kong.

“We welcome this unsolicited ranking which pays tribute to the kind of news stories that we have been putting out in the past 26 years. Unbiased, fearless, well-researched and well- written,” said The SUN Publisher Leo A. Deocadiz.

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The SUN, which was founded in December 1995, started out as a printed publication, with its monthly print run reaching a high of 55,000 copies up until 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic forced the company to go fully online.

The SUN newspaper had a peak print run of 55,000 copies a month

Its Facebook page, The SUN Hong Kong, now has 154,000 followers, with nearly all of its articles being shared by dozens of readers on a daily basis.

Its most popular Facebook Live show, The SUN Interviews, reaches between 40,000 to 50,000 people when it broadcasts every other Wednesday night.

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In his email to The SUN, Feedspot founder Anuj Agarwal said, “I would like to personally congratulate you as your website The SUN Hong Kong has been selected by our panelist as one of the Top 15 Hong Kong News Websites on the web.”

“I personally give you a high-five and want to thank you for your contribution to this world. This is the most comprehensive list of Top 15 Hong Kong News Websites on the internet and I'm honored to have you as part of this!”

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Here is the list of those who made it to the Top 15:

1.)   Headline Daily

2.)   HK Free Press

3.)   The Standard

4.)   South China Morning Post

5.)   HK Economic Times

6.)   Fintech Hong Kong

7.)   Metro Daily

8.)   Sing Pao Daily News

9.)   HK Commercial Daily News

10) The SUN

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11) Ming Pao News

12) Al-Jazeera HK

13) Gong Jiao Bao

14) BBC News HK

15) The Star HK

For the complete list, including a description of each news website, click this link; Top 15 Hong Kong News Websites 

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Employer faces $50k fine for allowing DH still waiting for visa to work

By Vir B. Lumicao 

Alba's $51k hospital was waived but she was not told the doctor's diagnosis 

A prospective employer is facing a $50,000 fine for letting her incoming Filipina helper work in her house even if her employment visa application was still being processed. The worker herself reportedly faces a $3,500 penalty.

The Immigration Department today informed the Filipina, A. Alba, that it has discontinued processing her visa application because her prospective employer has either backed out or is not eligible to hire a foreign domestic worker.

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She was told she could file another application for a new employer, but this second application will be “final,” said Immigration in a letter to her, dated yesterday.

“If you or your prospective employer backs out again, your prospective employer withdraws his/her sponsorship of you for whatever reasons, or your prospective employer is not eligible for employing a foreign domestic helper, your further application will not be considered,” said the letter.

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“If you still wish to work for a new employer in Hong Kong, you must return to your place of origin and then submit a fresh application.”

Despite this assurance, Alba’s visa was extended for only three more days, which makes it hard for her to get a new employer willing to sign her up.

Immigration said in a letter that Alba has one more chance to process a new work contract

On Wednesday, when the worker picked up her luggage in the flat of her intended employer, the latter laid on the table a document from the labour prosecutor’s office that reportedly stated the employer will be fined $50,000 and Alba, $3,500.

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The patient’s concern about her $51,000 bill from Queen Mary Hospital, incurred when she was admitted on Nov 19 after suffering seizures, was resolved before she was discharged on Nov 23 when the bill was waived by due to her inability to pay.

But the waiver was attached to a condition that she can’t find out what the doctor’s diagnosis of her illness is or be given medicines to treat her ailment unless she pays the bill.

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Police discovered the breach of immigration rules on the night of Nov 19 when Alba suffered a seizure while attending to her future employer’s baby. An ambulance took her unconscious to Queen Mary Hospital in Pokfulam.

Alba said she went for her first dose of Sinovac vaccine on Nov 18. The next day she felt so unwell that she collapsed and her mouth frothed.

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The officers reportedly asked the employer why the sick worker was in her house when she was still waiting for her new work visa, and told her the helper would be interviewed after her release from hospital.

The helper, still weak when discharged on Tuesday, said doctors found a blood clot in her head and a hole in her heart during a CT scan and electrocardiogram examinations. This was why her heartbeat hasn’t normalized, she said.

Alba said she begged for temporary accommodation in the flat of her first employer, who released her on Jun 14 after her husband died of colon cancer and the family had run into financial difficulties.

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Her most pressing need now is an air ticket, Alba said, as she has only until Sunday to remain in Hong Kong.

She said she went to ask help from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration but was told that they have no funds to pay for the tickets of destitute workers. She received the same advice from the Consulate’s assistance to nationals section.

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She has now turned to worker support groups to help her book an air ticket back to Manila before her visa expires on Sunday.

Alba came to Hong Kong on Jun 14, 2019 to work for her first employer. She finished her contract on Jun 14 this year, but the employer told her she could no longer retain the Filipina.

The helper moved in with a new employer on Jun 16 but decided to leave on Oct 16 due to what she called unbearable conditions in that household. The next day her prospective employer signed her up, and she said she was looking forward to moving there when the unexpected  happened.

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CHP reports new variant being found in Regal Airport cases

By The SUN 

The new variant was found in two men who stayed across each other at Regal Airport Hotel

The Centre for Health Protection has said a newly emerged variant has been detected in the coronavirus cross-infection that happened between two men who occupied rooms across each other at Regal Airport Hotel in Chek Lap Kok.

At the same time, the CHP reported six newly confirmed Covid-19 cases, including a newly arrived foreign domestic helper from the Philippines, an air crew from Russia and a one-year-old baby from Bangladesh.

All carried the L452R mutant strain, except for the Filipina DH who was strangely found to have both the N501Y and E484K mutations of the coronavirus, which were both first detected in the United Kingdom.

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The CHP statement issued today, Nov 25, said cases 12388, the 36-year-old male index patient who had flown in from South Africa, and 12404, the 62-year-old man from Canada, had highly similar genetic sequences.

The virus they carried reportedly belonged to the B.1.1.529 lineage, which has been found in South Africa and Botswana, reinforcing the finding that the younger man had infected the other patient.

“Scientific information on the public health significance about this lineage is lacking at the moment. It is classified by the World Health Organization as ‘Variants Under Monitoring.’ The CHP will closely monitor the latest developments,” said the statement.

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Previously, the mutant strain found in the men was identified by CHP as N501Y.

After experts reported on the cross-infection, the CHP said it arranged for 12 persons who had stayed on the same floor of the hotel as the two patients to undergo compulsory quarantine at Penny’s Bay for 14 days.

“No related case (has been) detected so far,” said the statement.

One passenger on Nepal Air flight tested positive while 3 did not follow pre-boarding rules

Meanwhile, Nepal Airlines flight RA409 from Kathmandu has been suspended from flying to Hong Kong for two weeks starting today.

This was after one of its passengers on Nov 23, a 32-year-old female returnee, tested positive on arrival, while three others on the same flight failed to comply with pre-boarding requirements.

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Among the other passengers is the infected FDH from the Philippines who is 35 years old, female, and flew in aboard Cebu Pacific flight 5J272.

The 45-year-old male air crew from Russia who also tested positive on arrival at Hong Kong airport had flown in via V4501, while the baby from Bangladesh was on his third day of quarantine at Grand City Hotel in Sai Ying Pun when he tested positive.

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The two remaining passengers are a 28-year-old man who came from France via CX206 and tested positive on arrival, and a 45-year-old man who flew in from Thailand and was found infected on his third day of quarantine at Best Western Hotel in Wan Chai.

They took Hong Kong’s total Covid-19 tally to 12,417 confirmed cases and one probable case.

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The CHP reminded the public that those who resided or worked in the same building as a local Covid-19 case involving a mutant strain will be subject to compulsory testing on specified dates. They will also be required to undergo self-monitoring until the 21^st day.

The details of currently enforced CTNs and the relevant dates may be found at www.coronavirus.gov.hk/pdf/CTN_Specified_premises_and_Dates_of_Testing.pdf).

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Filipina who took $3,200 left in ATM gets suspended 10-day sentence

 By Vir B. Lumicao

The defendant took the money from a BOC ATM in Central

A 36-year-old domestic helper who admitted taking $3,200 left by a fellow Filipina helper at an ATM booth in Central in May, received a 10-day suspended sentence in Eastern Court today, Nov 25, after she returned the money to the victim.

Defendant R.C. Alvior cried in remorse as she appeared before Magistrate Ada Yim for the reading of the charge in court. She had been on police bail since her arrest on Oct 23.

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The prosecution said that at 11:05am on May 16, the victim, Ruby Eustaquio, 42, went to a Bank of China ATM booth at EuroTrade Centre, 13-14, Connaught Road Central to withdraw money.

Eustaquio entered the amount of $3,200 that she was withdrawing but forgot to take the cash when she left the machine in a hurry.

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Several minutes later, she realized she did not have the money she withdrew and enquired with the bank.

The bank reviewed the ATM transactions on the machine on that particular day and time and confirmed that the money was not retracted by the terminal and the withdrawal was completed. The bank reported the case.

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Investigators reviewed the CCTV footage on May 16 at the ATM booth and saw a segment that caught Alvior inserting her own ATM card in the terminal after taking the money.

The investigators unveiled the identity of the defendant, which led to her arrest on Oct 23. Under caution, the defendant admitted committing the offense out of greed and that she had used all the stolen money for her mother's medical expenses.

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The prosecution said the defendant had a clear record.

In mitigation, the duty lawyer representing Alvior said his client, a widow who is supporting her 11-year-old son and 75-year-old mother with lung ailment, came to Hong Kong in 2018 to work as a domestic helper.

The counsel said on the day of the offense, she went to the BOC ATM booth to withdraw money which she would send home for her mother’s medication.

The lawyer said at the time Alvior’s mother had tested positive for coronavirus infection despite being asymptomatic and needed money for her treatment so the defendant had to send money home.

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Alvior admitted she was driven by greed to take the money left in the cash dispenser before withdrawing from her own account.

The lawyer said his client was remorseful and wanted to compensate the victim for her lost money. He said the woman’s Pakistani boyfriend was in court to pay the amount.

Magistrate Yim told the defendant to go to the court cashier to pay the compensation. When Alvior returned with her boyfriend half an hour later, Yim imposed a 10-day sentence that was suspended for 12 months.

She said she discounted the sentence by one-third from three weeks due to the defendant’s guilty plea, and shortened further to 10 days for compensating the victim. 

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