CE affirms bars, karaokes will reopen on Thursday

By The SUN 

CE Lam urges caution, saying the number of infections remains high

Chief Executive Carrie Lam says the further relaxation of social distancing measures will go ahead as planned on Thursday, but urged the public to remain vigilant because the number of new Covid infections remains high.

Speaking ahead of the weekly Executive Council meeting on Tuesday, CE Lam said that while the fifth wave of infection has already peaked, the daily caseload of between 200 and 300 suggest the situation has yet to stabilize.

Despite this, the plan to reopen certain venues like bars, nightclubs, karaoke lounges and mahjong parlors will go ahead as scheduled from May 19.

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This measure is particularly significant for the Filipino community as most of the musicians who play and work in bars and nightclubs are Filipinos.

Restaurants will be allowed to open for dine-in until midnight, eating and drinking will once again be allowed in cinemas, and people will no longer be required to wear masks when they exercise in gyms and other indoor sports premises.

Bars will be allowed to operate until 2am but can seat no more than four people to a table.

Apart from this, most businesses, places of worship and other premises will be allowed to take in up to 85% of their capacity, from the current 50%.

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Mrs Lam said she believes the risk that would come with the easing of the curbs could be managed.

While experts will have different views on the steps that need to be taken to stop the spread of Covid, the government will ultimately have to decide on the way forward, she said.

“Authorities would make the ultimate decision based on different factors such as public health, economic impact, and social acceptance,” she said.

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For now, she said the reopening of the borders with the mainland remains her top priority.

She also urged people to get their next vaccine dose, saying vaccination remains the most effective way of preventing serious illnesses arising from Covid-19 infection.

She reminded people that a third jab of a Covid-19 vaccine will be required for the next stage of the vaccine pass which takes effect on May 31.

She said only a third of those eligible to take the vaccine have had their booster dose.

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Pinoy na nahulihan ng pampatigas ng ari nakaiwas sa kulong

 

Nakaligtas ang Pilipino sa kulong sa Eastern Court

Isang Pilipino ang binigyan ng “bound-over order” sa Eastern Court kanina matapos siyang umamin na may dalang sildenafil, isang gamot na pampatigas ng ari ng lalaki, nang mahuli siya sa Wanchai noong nakaraang araw ng Pasko.

Agad ni tinanggap ni J.M.S. ang mga kundisyon ni Magistrate Jacky Ip Kai-leung upang siya ay mapalaya nang walang criminal record laban sa kanya.

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Ilan sa mga kundisyong ito ay ang pagbabayad niya ng $300 bilang gastos ng korte, at multang $2,000 na babayaran lang niya kung may lalabag sya ng batas sa loob ng susunod na 12 buwan.

Ang utos ay ipinalabas matapos banggitin ng hukom na malinis ang record si Salvia sa buong panahong tumira siya sa Hong Kong.

Nagsimula ang kaso ni J.M.S., 52 taong gulang, nang maharang siya ng pulis sa Johnston Road, Wanchai, noong Pasko at makita sa dala niyang bag ang isang palara na naglalaman ng tatlong bahagi ng basag na tabletang kulay asul na mas kilala bilang Viagra.

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Sa pagsusuri, nakumpirma na naglalaman ang tableta ng sildenafil, na nakalista sa Part 1 ng Poisons List ng gobyerno.

Ayon sa Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance, labag sa batas ang pagmamay-ari ng isang Part 1 poison na gaya ng sildenafil kung walang reseta mula sa doktor.

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Dahil dito, kinumpiska ng pulis ang sildenafil na nakabalot sa palara at pati na rin ang bag na naglalaman nito upang gamiting ebidensiya. Sa korte kanina, imunungkahi ng taga-usig na isauli ang bag sa kanya. Ang asul na tableta ay sisirain sa ilalim ng pangangasiwa ng gobyerno.

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3-dose requirement in vaccine pass to go ahead

By The SUN 

Anyone who enters specified premises must have a 3rd vaccine dose by May 31

Hong Kong will push ahead with requiring three vaccine doses for those who want to enter specified venues by the end of the month.

Speaking to reporters this morning, Secretary for the Civil Service Patrick Nip said implementing the second stage of the vaccine pass scheme will not be delayed.

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He also said no date has been set for ending the vaccine pass.

Nip said the updated requirement is necessary for controlling the spread of the virus, and that the government has taken the initiative of requiring all its staff to get a third dose before entering any government building.

He also called on the public to get their third jab as soon as possible so the social distancing measures can be relaxed further and people can resume normal lives.

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Latest government figures show that 90 percent of all people in Hong Kong have received at least one dose of a Covid vaccine, and nearly 86 percent have received a second.

However, only 68 percent of those aged between 20 to 60, and 80 percent of those who are older have received the third jab.

As of now, those aged 12 and above will have to be double-jabbed to enter certain venues such as restaurants, shopping malls, supermarkets, government building, churches and cinemas.

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By May 31, the requirement will be raised to three doses.

Nip said up to 100,000 vaccine doses can be administered daily by the various vaccination centers, private clinics and public hospitals.

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Concern aired over 6th wave as Covid clusters grow

By The SUN 

DAB's Starry Lee says the government must work to lessen the impact of a new Covid surge (File)

Hong Kong's largest pro-Beijing party, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong, raised concerns over what they called as  the inevitable sixth wave of the coronavirus infection when they met with Chief Executive-elect John Lee this afternoon.

DAB chair Starry Lee said that the incoming administration must work to minimize the impact of a new Covid-19 surge which some experts predict will come soon.

Among the measures they suggested was to reserve makeshift hospitals for people returning to the mainland or foreign domestic workers under quarantine.

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The call came as health officials reported more cases being added to three infection clusters as the city recoded 234 additional Covid cases for the day.

Two more people who had visited a private kitchen in Kwun Tong on May 9 have tested positive for the virus, raising the number of cases in the cluster to 11.

Dr Albert Au of the Centre for Health Protection said the patients have insisted they had not gone to Imperial Kitchen in Shing Yip Industrial Building to buy food but did not eat there.

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Au said there are some tables in the venue as well as a kitchen, and there’s also a room for karaoke or mahjong. But all environmental samples tested so far were all negative for the virus.

About 40 people who had gone there on the relevant day and time have been told to get tested.

Separately, four more diners at the Sky Cuisine restaurant in Sheung Wan have been found infected, raising the number of cases there to 56.

Au said three more samples, including one taken from a dish cabinet in the restaurant, have tested positive for the virus.

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At the Sun Mong billiard club in Hung Hom, a 63-year-old customer who visited on May 9 pushing up the number of infections there to 14.

Au said that with the new cases, the overall tally from the fifth wave has now exceeded 1.196 million.

He said the average number of cases in the past few weeks has ranged between 200 and 300, which is still high compared to previous outbreaks, but do not still suggest a resurgence.

“We have not identified any clear sign of a rebound,” he said.

Au says there has been no sign of a rebound in cases 

Au also reported 42 imported cases, which included 32 detected at the airport. The travelers had flown in from the United States, United Kingdom, Turkey, Japan and Canada.

The rest were detected either during quarantine or after completing their isolation.

A couple who had flown in from US and completed their quarantine on May 10 were found infected on the 12^th day after their arrival. CHP believes they caught the infection from the community as the man’s viral load was high.

Dr Larry Lee of the Hospital Authority said there was no Covid-19 death to report, so the death toll stands at 9,148.

A total number of 712 patients are now being treated in public hospitals and treatment facilities. Among them, two are in critical condition and are in intensive care.

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OFWs sending more cash home this year than in 2021

 

Chater Road, where many Filipino domestic workers in HK congregate on their days off

OFW cash remittances from Hong Kong recovered from a drastic fall in 2021, with the first three months of 2022 recording modest growth, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has reported.

The growth comes from individuals sending home more money monthly.

In its latest report on Overseas Filipinos’ Remittances, BSP said Hong Kong’s OFWs sent home cash amounting US$192.109 million in the first three months of 2022, a 6% improvement from the previous year’s US$191.021 million.

Of this amount, money sent by land-based workers, mostly domestic helpers, amounted to US$139.317 million during the quarter, up 3.1% over US$135.071 million they sent over the same period last year.

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This improvement made up for the 5.6% decline in remittances from sea-based workers to US$52.792 million from last year’s $55.950 million.

Hong Kong's 2022 performance was an improvement from the 12% full-year decline recorded in 2021 to US$722.229, and to US$821.160 million remitted by OFWs in 2020.

The increase came despite the decline in the number of OFWs in Hong Kong, indicating that individual OFWs were sending more money to their families compared to last year.

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According to Hong Kong's Immigration Department, 14.89% or 32,726 OFWs left from January 2020 –when there were 219,728 of them – to 187,002 in February this year. A total of 206,481 OFWs were also recorded in February 2021.

Based on these figures, remittances by individual OFWs in Hong Kong increased. They were sending an average of HK$2,671.01 per month in 2022, compared to HK$2,273.57 per month in 2021 and $2,452.87 per month in 2020.

Within Asia, Hong Kong ranked fifth among OFW-hosting countries in the amount of US dollars being sent to the Philippines last year.

Singapore was the top source of OFW remittances, at $2,200.99 million in 2021 and $583.172 million from January to March this year.

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Japan was second with $1,611.19 million, and $392.376 million in the first quarter this year.

Taiwan was third with $841.88 million in 2021 and $194.082 million.

South Korea was fourth with $788.166 million, and $184.79 million.

Running behind Hong Kong was Malaysia with $618.216 million, and $194.029 million.

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Unusually cold summer morning tomorrow: Observatory

 

Victoria Harbor (HK Observatory photo)

Hong Kong will wake up to a cold and wet morning tomorrow, with the temperature dropping to 19 degrees Celsius in urban areas and a couple of degrees lower in the New Territories.

The Hong Kong Observatory attributed this cold summer day to the arrival of the northern monsoon from Guangdong in the north.

“The northeast monsoon over inland Guangdong is spreading southwards gradually and is expected to reach the coastal areas overnight,” it said. 

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As a result, the Observatory has forecast a cloudy Monday with a few showers.

It expects the temperature to inch to 22 degrees in the afternoon.

The cold weather will pass quickly, however, and give way to sunny periods starting Tuesday, when the temperature will range from 20 and 26 degrees, according the Observatory’s forecast. 

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The temperatures are expected to rise gradually during the rest of the week until Sunday when it will be cloudy again with a few showers and isolated thunderstorms, according to its nine-day weather forecast. 

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Pinoy at 23 iba pa nahuli sa restaurant na bukas pa nang lampas sa 10pm

 

Ang Elgin St. ay kilalang lugar ng mga kainan sa Central (Google Maps photo)

Isang Pilipino ang nahaharap sa asunto matapos mahuli ang restaurant na pinagtatrabahuan niya na bukas pa kahit lampas na sa 10pm, ang oras na itinakda ng gobyerno para sa pagsasara ng lahat ng kainan sa Hong Kong bilang pag-iingat sa Covid-19.

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Ang Pilipino na 30 taong gulang ay isa sa 24 na nahuli ng mga pulis sa Central noong gabi ng Biyernes, May 13, sa restaurant na matatagpuan sa Elgin St. sa SoHo, o South of Hollywood Road sa Central. Ayon sa pahayag ng gobyerno, sasampahan siya ng kaso.

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Ang 23 na iba pang nahuli – 14 na lalaki at 9 na babae -- ay  kumakain sa restaurant nang dumating ang mga pulis.

Pinatawan sila agad ng multa na tig $5,000. May isa sa kanila na isang Briton na babae ang dinala sa istasyon ng pulis dahil walang maipakitang HKID card.

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Ang Pilipino naman ay binigyan ng papel na nag-uutos sa kanyang humarap sa korte dahil sa paglabag ng Prevention and Control of Disease (Requirements and Directions) (Business and Premises) Regulation. 

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Ayon sa naturang batas, kailangang magsara pagsapit ng ika-10 ng gabi ang mga kainan, at wala na dapat kumakain sa loob nito. Bago rito, ang itinakdang oras ng pagsasara ay 6pm.

Ang mga may-ari o nagpapatakbo ng mga lugar na lumabag sa kautusan na ito ay maaring mapagmulta ng hanggang $50,000 at pagkakakuliong ng anim na buwan. 

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New Covid-19 cluster found in Kwun Tong food factory

By The SUN

 

Officials hope there will be no major outbreak as second eatery linked to cluster of cases (File)

Health officials reported 259 new Covid infections Sunday, including nine linked to a private kitchen in Kwun Tong.

Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection said they are investigating the outbreak, which included some people who said they had stayed at Imperial Kitchen in Shing Yip Industrial building for only a short period to buy almond biscuits and frozen food.

"People have told us they only stayed for around 10 minutes and left after picking up some stuff. We need to conduct further investigations to find out if people had taken off their masks for meals," she said.

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Chuang said a compulsory testing notice will be issued for all those who were at the venue after 5pm on May 9. Officials have meanwhile taken environmental samples from the eatery for testing.

This emerged as 11 more cases linked to the Sky Cuisine restaurant in Sheung Wan were found, raising the total number in the cluster to 52.

Chuang said the latest patients comprised four staff and seven diners.

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Asked if the new clusters indicate Hong Kong is facing a new wave of infections, Chuang said cases were bound to rebound as people who were not infected previously have started going out after social distancing measures were relaxed.

But she hopes there will not be a major outbreak, and urged people who have yet to receive a Covid vaccine to do so.

Chuang said 33 of the new cases were imported, including 17 detected at the airport. Thirteen arrived in Hong Kong on Saturday, while four arrived on Friday.

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The total Covid tally has now breached 1.195 million with the death toll at 9,148 after one more fatality was reported today.  

According to Dr Sara Ho of the Hospital Authority, the patient who passed away on Saturday was an 82-year-old woman who had received two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine.

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Ho said 722 patients remain confined in public hospitals and treatment facilities, including one in who is critical condition.

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