Health officials suspect six cross-infections in Silka Seaview Hotel

By The SUN 

Experts believe the virus spread among six guests at Silka Seaview 

Hong Kong health officials said tonight, Jan 16, that they are investigating an apparent cross-infections among six inbound travelers who had spent their compulsory quarantine at Silka Seaview Hotel in Yau Ma Tei.

The investigation was sparked by the case of a Pakistani housewife who tested positive for Covid-19 with the Omicron strains four days after ending her 21-day quarantine at the hotel on Jan 10. She was one of 11 new confirmed cases reported today.

In its report released tonight, the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) said that it is investigating a possible link among cases 12891, 12893, 12895, 12981 and 12994 to 13045, which pertains to the Pakistani national.

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All of the patients in these cases stayed at Silka Seaview between Dec 20 and Jan 4.

Cases 12893 and 12895 both arrived in Hong Kong on Jan 2 and stayed in room 413. They both tested positive on Jan. 6.

Case 12994 arrived in Hong Kong on Dec 25 and stayed in the adjacent room, 414, on the same floor, and tested positive on January 10.

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According to CHP, genome sequencing done by the public laboratory of the Department of Health shows the three cases have highly similar genetic sequences, suggesting that they are “very likely to be epidemiologically linked.”

Meanwhile, case 12891 arrived in Hong Kong on Jan 4 and stayed in room 1205, and tested positive on Jan 6.

The person who stayed in the room with him, case 12981,was sent to a quarantine centre on Jan 8 and tested positive on Jan. 9.

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Lastly, case 13045 arrived in Hong Kong on Dec 20 and stayed in the adjacent room, 1206. She tested negative in all tests conducted during quarantine. After her discharge on Jan 10 she went home to Tung Moon House, Tai Hang Tung Estate, 83 Tai Hang Tung Road, Sham Shui Po. In line with regulations she got tested on Jan 13 at a community testing centre and the result was positive with a heavy viral load.

The CHP said genome sequencing on the three remaining cases have yet to be completed.

Following the results of the initial genome sequencing government experts conducted a site inspection of the hotel late this afternoon. They concluded that the air flows in the rooms and corridors may have caused the virus to spread from room to room.

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Based on the expert opinion, the CHP will order compulsory quarantine for 14 days on persons who had stayed in the rooms adjacent to and opposite to room 413 from Jan 2 to 7; and those  who had stayed in the rooms adjacent to and opposite to room 1205 from Jan 4 to 8.

Starting on Jan 17, Silka Seaview was used as a quarantine hotel for close contacts of cases who tested positive for Covid-19. As such, it stopped taking reservations from inbound travelers since Jan 12, and all those who were still checked in were moved to other designated quarantine hotels.

4 Filipinas arrested in police raid on unlicensed bar in Central alley

By Daisy CL Mandap 

Police photo shows the 4 Filipinas being taken away after their arrest

Four Filipinas are still being held for investigation after being arrested Saturday night during a police raid on an unlicensed bar in Fai Man Building 9-13 Li Yuen Street West.

According to a police report, the 32-year-old Filipina who was in charge of the establishment was arrested along with three other Filipina customers found drinking in the place.

The raid which happened at 7pm, was part of an operation code-named Fanwood, which targeted bars in the area.

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Under stringent anti-gathering rules that are in place until Feb. 3, bars are not allowed to open, while restaurants are prohibited from allowing customers to dine in after 6pm.

The police report said the woman who was in charge of the premises was arrested on suspicion of selling alcohol without a license, possessing unlicensed alcoholic beverages for sale, violating her visa conditions and violating the anti-gathering restrictions under Cap.599F.

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The three other Filipinas, aged between 29 and 35, were arrested on suspicion of drinking alcohol in a place without a liquor license and violating Cap.599F.

Under the Prevention and Control of Diseases regulation, a fixed penalty of $5,000 may be issued for anyone found guilty of gathering in restricted places. This is on top of other penalties that may be imposed for other violations.

“All arrestees are now being held for investigation,” said the police report.

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Seized during the operation were 1,645 bottles of alcohol, 12 plastic barrels and $400 cash.

Fai Man building which houses a number of pubs, karaoke bars and other businesses catering to Filipinos, is notorious for being the target of police raids aimed at flushing out illegal workers and  those engaged in illegal selling activities.

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Often, police would arrest a couple of Filipinos who were either engaged in illegal selling or had violated their visa terms by working there while on torture claimants, overstayers or foreign domestic helpers status.

Restaurants in North Point, Cheung Sha Wan under compulsory testing notice

By The SUN

4 dates and times are indicated for Cafe de Coral in MaxiMall, North Point

Several restaurants in North Point and Cheung Sha Wan are among 15 places put under a compulsory testing notice issued early today, Jan. 16, by the Centre for Health Protection.

These were the places visited by a number of people who tested preliminary positive, or were confirmed to carry Covid-19 with mutant strains linked to the Omicron variant.

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Among the preliminary positive cases were a female aircraft cleaner who lives in Tsing Yi and a Pakistani woman who tested positive with a heavy viral load, just days after completing her 21-day quarantine.

Also listed as a preliminary positive case is that involving a 74-year-old man who lives in City Garden in North Point. His wife was among a group of elderly women who danced together regularly in Victoria Park.

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Among the eateries he appears to have patronized on a regular basis are Cafe de Coral, Fairwood and those in the Java Road Market all located in North Point 

A couple of restaurants in Cheung Sha Wan and Tsing Yi are also on the list.

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Not included are the residential buildings of the cargo aircraft cleaner and Pakistani returnee which have been locked down overnight for mass testing of residents. 

They will all have to test a few more times afterwards in line with regulations concerning cases with mutant strains. 

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Close contacts of the confirmed cases will be sent to a quarantine center for 14 days  

The details of the latest CTN are here: https://www.chp.gov.hk/files/pdf/ctn_20220115.pdf

2 lockdowns ordered as HK's new Covid-19 cases dip to 5

By Daisy CL Mandap 

The 2 preliminary positive cases are suspected to carry the Omicron variant

Health officials ordered a lockdown tonight, Jan 15, on two residential buildings in Tsing Yi and Sham Shui Po where two females who tested preliminary positive for Covid-19 with the Omicron strains live.

The sources of their infection is still unknown.

They were among about 10 preliminary positive cases reported by the Centre for Health Protection earlier today. A total of five confirmed cases were also recorded, three of them imported and two with links to imported cases.

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The Tsing Yi resident is a 41-year-old cleaner of cargo aircraft at the Hong Kong International Airport. She lives in Wang Sin House, Cheung Wang Estate, 9 Liu To Road, Tsing Yi.

She tested negative during routine testing on Jan 8 and 11 and last went to work on Jan 14, when she tested positive for Covid-19 with a Ct value of about 20, indicating a heavy viral load. She is fully vaccinated with Sinovac.

The second is a 43-year-old woman who lives in Tung Moon House, Tai Hang Tung Estate, 83 Tai Hang Tung Road, Sham Shui Po.

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She arrived in Hong Kong on Dec 20, 2021 from Pakistan by flight EK384 and she tested negative at the airport. She spent her 21-day compulsory quarantine at Silka Seaview Hotel Hong Kong in Yau Ma Tei, during which all the results of her six tests were negative.

She moved to her house on Jan 10 and on Jan 14, she underwent another test at a community testing centre in line with regulations. The result was preliminary positive, with a heavy viral load. She had two doses of the Sinovac vaccine in Pakistan.

The CHP is now investigating the places they visited during the incubation periods and will conduct genome sequencing and compare them with previously detected cases in Hong Kong to find their infection sources.

Earlier, CHP’s Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan said the two local cases reported today were linked to previous infections that were import-related.

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The first is a 74-year-old man who lives in Block B of Maple Gardens Phase 3 in North Point and is a family member of a man who works in Citic securities and had links with the so-called dance cluster in Causeway Bay.

He is the fourth person to contract the virus in the residential building, where experts say a vertical transmission had occurred between two separate flats.

The other confirmed local case is the 51-year-old female security guard at Penny’s Bay Quarantine Centre who was tagged as a close contact of a colleague with whom she shared meals.

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The first patient was found to have caught the virus from a brief encounter through a screened partition with an infected person who had stayed at the quarantine.

A Filipina domestic worker is among 3 imported cases

Among the three imported cases is a 36-year-old female domestic helper who flew in from the Philippines on Jan 5 aboard flight OZ721. She tested positive on her 8^th day of quarantine at the Regala Skylight in Tung Chung.

The others are both 21-year-old females who both tested positive on arrival at the airport on Jan 13. The first came by flight KE607 from United Arab Emirates via Korea and the second aboard flight SQ007 from the United States.

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They took Hong Kong’s total tally to 13,030 confirmed cases of which 410 are still undergoing treatment in various public hospitals.

Philippines urged to help stranded workers as Covid-19 cases hit 39k-mark

 By The SUN 

Rush for Covid jabs in Mandaluyong City, as the country hit a record 39,004 cases

A migrant workers group has called on the Philippine government to extend help to foreign domestic workers who have been left stranded by the new flight ban imposed on the country by Hong Kong.

“We want the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration to step up and ensure that all stranded OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) are given aid,” said Dolores Balladares-Pelaez, chairperson of United Filipinos-Migrante and Bayan Muna Partylist in Hong Kong.

“Live up to your name! Ensure our welfare.”

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Her call came amid a widespread clamor for help from an estimated 6,000 Hong Kong-bound workers in the Philippines, many of whom have waited for months to leave because of limited quarantine spaces allotted to them in the city.

In an online interview with The SUN Thursday, OWWA Administrator Hans Cacdac said no immediate funds were available for those who have been stuck in the Philippines as a result of the flight ban.

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But Cacdac said he would relay the concerns of the workers to responsible officials.

"Idudulog ko rin po kay (Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III) at sa OWWA Board para tingnan kung may tulong na maibibigay."

Cacdac promises to look for funds for workers stranded by the flight ban

The ban on passenger flights from the Philippines which has now been extended for another fortnight, or until Feb. 4, means they will have to wait even longer.

While there is no corresponding ban on flights from Hong Kong to Manila, airlines would be less likely to fly this route because of low passenger volume, thus causing flight cancellations on this end as well.

Worse, the outlook for lifting the ban on the rescheduled date is bleak because of the surge in Covid-19 cases in the Philippines. Today, Jan 15, the country posted its third daily record high of 39,004 cases, which also raised the number of active cases to 280,183, the highest since the pandemic broke out two years ago.

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Pelaez said the government of President Rodrigo Duterte should be blamed for the unprecedented rise in the number of infected persons in the country.

“We want the Duterte government to (account for) this Omicron mess. We are worried for our families back home, now that the Omicron variant is wreaking havoc in the Philippines,” she said.

Pelaez said the spread of the highly infectious variant exposed anew the dismal health system and what it calls as the government’s “inept and militaristic” approach to solving the pandemic.

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She lamented the shortage of basic flu medicines, and the forcible isolation of the unvaccinated instead of encouraging them to take the jab.

“But it is even more alarming that the cases are reaching 30,000 in one day, with the hospitals full and healthcare workers exhausted to the bone,” Pelaez said.

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She said the government should focus more on mass testing instead of militarism; systematic contact tracing, not false promises; and aid, not negligence.

Govt cracks down on food hawking as part of anti-virus measures

By The SUN 

FEHD agents seize cooked food in pots and fresh meatballs peddled in Victoria Park

Foreign domestic workers spending their days off in their usual hangouts in Central, Causeway Bay and other public places in Hong Kong, will find government teams again enforcing social distancing and other anti-Covid rules this weekend.

This time around, they will be cracking down as well on illegal hawkers, especially those that sell food at migrant workers’ favorite haunts.

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Last Jan. 9, a similar operation resulted in FEHD (Food and Environmental Hygiene Department) officers arresting one person for illegally selling food in a public place near Victoria Park and seized abandoned articles that included fresh and cooked food.

Filipinos who hang out in Central also reported seeing the enforcement teams telling off workers who spread and shared food on the pedestrian underpass linking Chater Road and Edinburgh Place near City Hall.

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Experts have always said that the sharing of food in public gatherings is one of the key routes of virus transmission.

Govt agents stepped up the campaign after 3 Indonesian DHs were infected with Omicron

The government has been making repeated calls for FDHs to help in fighting Covid-19 which spiked this month and left three Indonesian FDHs positive for Covid-19, out of the 171 asymptomatic cases and two re-positive cases recorded since Jan.1.

In a press release today, the FEHD said: “The Government is highly concerned about the latest epidemic situation and strongly appeals to all sectors… including FDHs to fight the virus together.”

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It appealed to FDHs to “raise awareness of epidemic prevention, keep the environment clean and hygienic, and comply with the various anti-epidemic regulations and restrictions, including the requirements on group gatherings and wearing of masks.”

Teams that will roam the FDH gathering places will include not just FEHD and Leisure and Cultural Services Department – the agencies in charge of maintaining these public places -- but also the Hong Kong Police Force, Labour Department, and Immigration Department.

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“The joint operations started today and will continue tomorrow at various public places in Wan Chai, Central and Western, Mong Kok, Yau Tsim, Sha Tin, Tsuen Wan and Sai Kung, near popular FDH gathering public places during weekends and public holidays,” FEHD said.

“During the operations, apart from arranging cleansing contractors to strengthen street cleaning services at the relevant spots, the FEHD also steps up patrols to combat littering and unlicensed hawking activities.”

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“In addition, promotional leaflets in multiple languages are also distributed by the FEHD to appeal to FDHs to maintain environmental hygiene and refrain from conducting unlicensed hawking activities.

“FDHs are also reminded by other government departments to comply with the regulations on mask-wearing and prohibition of group gatherings in public places,” it added.

The statement said that under the The Prevention and Control of Disease (Prohibition on Group Gathering) Regulation (Cap. 599G) and the Prevention and Control of Disease (Wearing of Mask) Regulation (Cap. 599I), violators may each be charged a fixed penalty of $5,000.

 

HK keeps flight ban on 8 countries, strict gathering rules

By Daisy CL Mandap 

The irony of the background slogan did not escape reporters

Hong Kong has decided to keep for at least two more weeks its ban on passenger flights from eight countries, including the Philippines.

At a press conference held earlier tonight, Chief Executive Carrie Lam also announced that the stringent social distancing measures that were originally meant to last only until Jan 20 will also be extended for 14 days.

The flight ban which was enforced on Jan 8 and was set to last only until Jan 21, will now be extended to Feb 4. Covered by the ban apart from the Philippines are Australia, Canada, France, India, Pakistan, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The stricter gathering rules which prohibit dining in at restaurants after 6pm among other restrictions, will be in place until Feb 3, the third day of the Lunar New Year.

CE Lam’s announcement came as the number of Omicron-linked cases in Hong Kong dropped to 9 today, the lowest in two weeks.

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She also reported a significant drop in the total number of cases in the past week since she announced the twin measures, and said the infection rate this time is far lower than in the third wave.

But she said the fear that there are undetected virus carriers in the city remains, citing figures showing that 30% of those found to have Omicron in Hong Kong do not display symptoms.

“We are worried that there may still be a silent transmission going on,” she said. “So our view is that there is still risk of an outbreak.”

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She added that Hong Kong has to remain vigilant and ensure that it is not importing cases.

The eight countries where passenger flights have been banned were the biggest sources of imported Omicron cases in Hong Kong since the highly transmissible variant was first detected.

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In the case of the Philippines, for example, all flights coming from Manila and Cebu had already been suspended even before the blanket ban was imposed, for bringing in up to 10 passengers who tested positive on arrival at Hong Kong airport.

Still, Hong Kong’s decision to extend the flight ban comes as a blow for thousands of residents stuck in the eight countries, and had been waiting to be allowed to fly back.

Thousands of Filipino migrant workers have been struggling to get to HK for months

But it is even more devastating for thousands of Filipino migrant workers who have been waiting for months, even years, to take up their jobs in Hong Kong.

Some of them were caught in the first flight ban imposed on the Philippines starting in April 2021 and had been lifted for less than four months before it was put back in place. A lot more were unable to fly out because of the highly limited quarantine places allotted by Hong Kong for incoming foreign domestic workers.

In Hong Kong, those likely to greet the extended gathering restrictions with dismay are restaurant owners whose operating hours will continue to be cut short during the biggest event in the Chinese calendar.

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Equally devastating is the effect it has on those who manage or work in bars, karaokes, beauty parlors, gyms, cinemas, massage parlors, theme parks and other entertainment and leisure venues which will remain shut for the next three weeks.

Residents who had looked forward to having the same treats that they had last year when Chinese New Year events were kept, are also in for a disappointment.

CE Lam said large-scale events such as the New Year fair, which this year is supposed to be held in 15 areas across Hong Kong, as well as spring events, will all be canceled.

But as an appeasement, she said that if the pandemic situation improves in the coming weeks, the government may start easing restrictions from Feb 4.

Beauty parlors and other venues may be allowed to reopen, but may have to operate within a vaccine bubble, which means only those who are vaccinated will be allowed to enter.

Mrs Lam also announced that businesses and individuals affected by the closures and other Covid restrictions can apply for financial assistance starting on Monday under the government’s fifth round of anti-epidemic funding totaling $3.57 billion.

If it becomes necessary, she said the government will ask the Legislative Council for additional funds to distribute to badly hit businesses.

Asked if she could give a guarantee on when quarantine-free travel in Hong Kong could resume, Lam said nobody could give that assurance.

Hong Kong has been fighting Covid-19 for the past two years, and during that time, she said the city has managed to keep its infection rate down to just 4% of the total cases worldwide.

“So we have been doing our very best but we cannot guarantee (that) because the virus is changing very rapidly,” she said.

Huwag ibale-wala ang CTN; may multang $5,000

 

Kung nakatira o napunta ka sa isang lugar na may Covid-19 na kaso ay isasailalim ka sa CTN 

 Nasa isang lugar ka ba na nagkaroon ng kaso ng Covid-19 at naisama sa compulsory testing notice (CTN) ng gobyerno?

Gaya ng lahat ng tao na nasa lugar sa naturang araw at oras, ang mga foreign domestic helper ay obligadong sumunod sa CTN at magpa-test, ayon sa Prevention and Control of Disease (Compulsory Testing for Certain Persons) Regulation (Cap. 599J).

Ang obligasyong ito ay istriktong ipinapataw sa lahat, bakunado man o hindi, ayon sa Labour Department.

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Ipinaalala ng LD sa mga FDH na pagmumultahin ng $5,000 ang mga mahuling hindi magpa test ayon sa CTN. Bibigyan din sila ng compulsory testing order, at kung hindi pa rin nila ito sundan, ang multa ay aakyat sa $25,000 at may kasama pang pagkakakulong ng anim na buwan.

Nagpaalala rin ang Labour Department na laging magsuot ng face mask at umiwas sa malalaking  kumpol ng tao. Ayon sa pinakahuling patakaran, hanggang apat na tao lang ang puwedeng magsama sa mga pampublikong lugar.

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Sa Jan 15 at 16, muling iikot ang ilang taga-gobyerno na mayroong sound system upang paalalahanan ang mga FDH tungkol dito sa nakagawian nilang puntahan sa Central, Tamar Park sa  Admiralty, Victoria Park sa  Causeway Bay, Tsuen Wan Park, sa footbridge malapit sa Fa Yuen Street sa Mong Kok at iba pa.

Ito ay ginagawa sa pagtutulungan ng Labour Department, Hong Kong Police Force, Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, Home Affairs Department at  Leisure and Cultural Services Department.

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“We remind FDHs to strictly observe the requirements and appeal to them to avoid gatherings (including those in boarding facilities), food sharing and other social activities on their rest days and holidays, and stay at home for rest as far as possible in order to safeguard their personal health and reduce the risk of infection. We also encourage employers and FDHs to discuss rest day arrangements, so as to minimise the health risk of participating in social activities," ayon sa LD.

Pinaalalahanan din ng Labour ang mga employer na bawal piliting magtrabaho ang kanilang DH  sa araw ng pahinga,  o pagkaitan sila ng day-off.

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Ang mga lalabag sa panuntunang ito na nakapaloob sa Employment Ordinance, ay papatawan ng multa na aabot sa $50,000.

HK’s new Covid-19 cases drop to single digit

By The SUN 

Only 9 new cases were reported today, but officials still urge caution

Hong Kong has reported nine new coronavirus cases, the first time in more than two weeks that the daily figure has dropped to single digit. Six of the cases were imported and the rest were local, with possible imported links.

Fewer than 10 preliminary positive cases were also recorded.

The figures which were disclosed at today’s press briefing by the Centre for Health Protection prompted the oft-repeated question of whether Hong Kong has managed to contain the Omicron-fuelled outbreak in the community.

CHP controller Dr Edwin Hui replied that there could still be silent transmissions that they were not aware of, so it was difficult to say if the outbreak has already been put under control.

“At present, although the number of local Omicron cases has been steady, or a little bit reduced, we don’t know if there is still silent transmission in some parts of Hong Kong. So we cannot say at present that the transmission has been contained,” he said.

Hui urged everyone to remain vigilant.

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Yesterday, CHP’s infectious disease chief Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan also reminded the media that the reason there has been a decline in the number of confirmed cases being reported is because Hong Kong has stopped passenger flights from eight countries.

Before the flight ban, the biggest number of Omicron cases detected in Hong Kong involved travelers from these countries, which include the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, France, India, Pakistan and the Philippines.

Among those reported as confirmed cases today is that of a 20-year-old nurse who assisted a doctor in examining a young boy who had symptoms at his clinic in Gold Coast, Tuen Mun. The boy was not tested and was found infected a few days later.

But another young nurse who worked in the same clinic chain in Tuen Mun as her infected colleague, was found to be a false positive case.

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Chuang said the sample taken from the nurse that tested positive was contaminated with a vaccine strain, and this was confirmed in a second test done by Hong Kong University microbiologist Dr Yuen Kwok-yung.

Another confirmed case is that of a construction site worker who was involved in a traffic accident and tested positive just before undergoing surgery at Prince of Wales hospital.

The Pakistani patient who worked at a construction site and delivered food on the side has already tested negative twice, and experts think he may be a re-positive case, or that he was infected previously without him being aware of it.

Chuang, Tsui and Hospital Authority's Lau Ka-hin at the briefing

She also reported new developments from the genome sequencing of some local cases, including that of a female aircraft cleaner whose source of infection was previously unknown.

Genetic analysis showed that the cleaner had acquired her infection from a previously confirmed patient who arrived on Jan 4 in HK aboard CX845, making it an import-linked case.

Chuang said the earlier patient, identified as Case No 12771, had occupied seat 46K of the aircraft which was in the section which the second patient, Case No 12908, was assigned to clean.

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A complete genome sequencing also linked the three cases at Maple Gardens 3 in North Point together. The index patient in this case was in turn linked to a super spreader in the dance cluster who had dined in the Six Garden restaurant in Tin Hau as he did.

Among the preliminary positive cases was a 51-year-old colleague of the female security guard at Penny’s Bay Quarantine Centre whose infection was also tracked through genetic analysis to an infected person on whose door she had tacked a notice.

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The second security guard often had lunch with her infected colleague and did the same job as she. Chuang said investigations are being carried out to confirm if she had caught the virus from her friend.

Another preliminary case involved a close contact of an infected person who lives in Phoenix Garden in the North District. Chuang said there are now two units affected in the same block, and expers are looking into whether the transmission had occurred within the building.

Earlier, fears that silent transmission had been going on in Tuen Mun was further fueled by the two nurses testing preliminary positive earlier. The district has been designated as “high risk” and all residents there urged to get tested.

Health experts tracking down the spread of the highly infectious new variant have revealed that at least 11 recently confirmed cases live in Tuen Mun.

Nine of them are linked to the outbreak at Moon Palace restaurant in Kowloon Tong, whose index case was a Cathay Pacific air crew member who had lunch there with two relatives while supposedly on home isolation.

At least five are tied to the so-called dance cluster, sparked by a newly arrived female Cathay flight crew who infected her unvaccinated mother, who then spread it to several friends with whom she regularly danced in Causeway Bay.

Hundreds of residents have been put under compulsory testing orders amid the spread of the virus in their district, and many have complained about the long queues.

In a bid to encourage them to get tested at home, the government announced on Friday that it would distribute 3,000 free rapid test kits to residents.  However, these are meant to just allow them to detect possible infections, and do not take the place of the swab tests required in mandatory testing.