Police Continue to Punish Businesses

Char siu pork ribs on the far right, pork shoulder on far left

Late this afternoon I met up with a restaurateur who insisted that I try his latest creation -- char siu pork ribs for an early dinner before his eatery closes at 6pm.

And they are delicious -- why hasn't anyone else thought of this before? Why just use the pork shoulder to make char siu when the ribs are just as good?

We asked him if he was excited to finally have dinner service back on April 21, but he shook his head.

Police in casual clothes out to fine people in TST

Then he told us that he was upset to find that his two restaurants (next door to each other) were recently fined when the police descended on them and checked everyone's LeaveHomeSafe app to see if they had scanned the restaurants' QR codes.

It turns out one diner did not scan the LeaveHomeSafe app, and both restaurants -- which are under one license -- are banned from operating for the next two weeks.

Now he has lost the opportunity to not only make money back from months of just serving lunch, and what is he going to do with kitchen and wait staff having nothing to do for two weeks. 

So please -- everyone -- scan your LeaveHomeSafe app in restaurants and other establishments if you want to support these businesses! A fine is a minor financial hit compared to being banned from running a business for two weeks.

In addition, anyone who has been out of work for 30 days can apply for HK$10,000 compensation from the government, but since hairdressers were out of work for 28 days, they are not eligible for this money. 

So basically the government looks like it is helping people, but when looking at the fine print, it really doesn't.

Use your LHS app when supporting a business!

The same goes for the police raking in some HK$90 million from fines, some from jumping in the bushes to ambush runners on trails who aren't wearing masks, to making domestic helpers pay HK$5,000 -- more than their monthly salary -- for being in what may look like groups of more than two.

There is talk that the sixth wave could come in a few months -- how much more financial punishment can people take?

While the restaurateur I saw today has accepted the financial hit of the punishment, he found out he is not the only one who was caught with not every guest scanning the LeaveHomeSafe app. 

After over two years of being hit hard by the pandemic, how are businesses in Hong Kong supposed to get back on their feet again when they are constantly being knocked down?

Horrific Covid-19 Stories Continue

Easier job, more pay at isolation facility at AsiaWorld-Expo

Sorry for the repetitious refrain, but Hong Kong recorded a staggering 26,026 cases today, almost all of them local.

What is frightening is that bodies of those who succumbed to Covid-19 are piling up in hospitals and not enough resources to transport them to the public mortuary. Sounds like New York in the early stages of the pandemic and yet here we are more than two years later and Hong Kong is completely unprepared for the impending onslaught.

Check out fatalities for those 80 and over

The Centre for Health Protection and the Department of Health released data on the first 284 Covid-19-related deaths in the fifth wave, and a shocking 91 percent were not vaccinated. The vast majority of the deaths are those over 80 years old. 

Meanwhile staffing of hospitals is getting thinner and thinner, as not only doctors and nurses contract the virus, but also caregivers in public hospitals are being lured to a community isolation centre treating patients with mild symptoms in AsiaWorld-Expo near the airport with promises of salaries of up to HK$50,000 (US$6,403) a month.

There are worries many will resign and leave even more work for those left behind on the front lines of public hospitals which are treating seriously ill patients with Covid.

Nothing is done to alleviate the labour shortages in public hospitals and they are left to fend for themselves. 

Then there are tragic stories of people who are crammed in sub-divided flats and test positive. 

A couple slept in this stairwell for several days

There was one story of a construction worker who tested positive for the virus along with his wife and live with their children and extended family in a tiny flat. In order to self-isolate, the couple slept on the roof and when it was raining in the stairwell. They asked their family to give them a bucket of water and they defecated into plastic bags.

Another was a foreign domestic helper who was found sleeping in her employer's car after she tested positive. A volunteer group that helps foreign helpers managed to persuade her to go to a shelter and even had to help her call her employer to reassure her that she wouldn't be fired. She was literally locked in the car and couldn't leave to go to the washroom and had nothing to eat.

These two instances show how little comprehension the government has for people in precarious living conditions and what solutions they have for them, let along compassion.

In the end the couple was treated, but not before their children also became ill... 

And what is with all these lawmakers and government officials and their helpers and drivers all catching Covid? Sounds like the chauffeurs are all hanging out together... the latest is Police Commissioner Raymond Siu Chak-yee's drive -- the sixth government official's driver to test positive. 

Thousands of restaurants are temporarily closing

The restaurant industry is hurting badly now, with people too terrified to eat out. Many restaurants, cafes and even fast food outlets are temporarily closed. Cafe de Coral will now limit its services to only takeaway. 

Some restaurants say they will open in a week, others don't say. It's devastating to see everyone struggling so much because of the government not handling this fifth wave fast enough and wasting time getting the elderly vaccinated.

One acquaintance got his booster yesterday and thought he was smart to get it in this thigh, as this was recommended for children to prevent any issues with their hearts. But today he reported his leg hurt so much he couldn't walk properly! 

So pro-tip -- don't get your jab in the thigh. Just get it in the arm. One person suggested moving your arm around afterwards to quickly distribute the vaccine... don't know if it's true, but every suggestion is worth a shot. haha!

Government Officials Looking Busy

Mainland expert team (in maroon) seeing things done in HK

For days Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee was no where to be found, publicly that is.

She finally emerged today, apparently busy showing around a mainland epidemiological expert delegation on the third of their five-day trip here that was documented in a press release.

Chan promised tracking every confirmed case

They visited the Contact Tracing Office which is under the Department of Health, and then also the Environmental Protection Department where officials explained its work on environmental transmission of the virus within buildings, while the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department talked about the requirements for indoor ventilation systems in government buildings, and guidelines for improving air quality indoors.

But perhaps most surprising in the press release was Chan's declaration: "The Government is in a race against time with the highly transmissible Omicron mutant strain. In order to contain the epidemic, we have to trace the close contacts of every confirmed case as soon as possible and conduct environmental investigation rapidly."

Uh... does she know there are currently 30,525 active cases?

Meanwhile her colleague Secretary for Labour and Welfare Law Chi-kwong is upset that Hong Kong residents were crowdfunding to help pay for the fines that foreign domestic helpers were getting from the police for allegedly not social-distancing to two people in public spaces. Last Sunday it was reported 17 fines of HK$5,000 each were handed out.

Police swarming domestic helpers at Tamar

The crowd-funding page had received over HK$100,000, but Law said he would ask the Justice Department to look into whether legal action needed to be taken.

"You may have good intentions, but we can't rule out that you are maliciously obstructing our whole anti-epidemic effort. Because you are helping a big group of foreign domestic workers to congregate, to violate the gathering limit, [this] will affect the epidemic, and affect many families," he said. "We must not be soft on this."

Definitely. As his boss Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said, "No mercy".

As a result, the organiser of the crowd-funding page had to stop accepting donations.

"Upon advice, we have decided that we should not proceed to pay the fines of the group of domestic helpers who received fixed penalties on Sunday, 13 February 2022, and have closed the fund. All sums collected will be returned to the original donors through the website."

Today there were 6,063 cases recorded, and 15 deaths with the age range between 45 to 93 years old, and only about two were vaccinated.

C'mon people! Free protection right here!

Another statistic that might persuade people to finally get vaccinated: in this fifth wave there have been 46 deaths so far. Of those, 40 were not vaccinated. Of those who were jabbed, three who died had had two doses of Sinovac, two had one dose of Sinovac, and one had two doses of BioNTech.

Why doesn't the Centre for Health Protection emphasise this to prove the point that people need to get vaccinated?!

Political Elites Reveal True Colours

The restaurant where the party was held now has a reputation

Birthday-gate is getting bigger, with now the possibility of 200 guests who came and went at Witman Hung Wai-man's celebrations and not all of them used the Leave Home Safe app.

One offender was Dr Daniel Chu Wai-sing, husband of RTHK host Joyce Yeung who was later found to be a false-positive case.

Chu admits he did not use tracing app

He admitted on a radio show on Monday that he did not scan the Leave Home Safe app, saying he did not see it, and questioned the radio hosts of they were indeed "law abiding" when they were out and about.

Sounds like someone trying to dismiss the government-mandated app, and also make it sound like it's normal to not obey the rules?

It's turning into an intense investigation into who was where at what time, and guests having to prove it through their Leave Home Safe app. But if they didn't use it, then they look foolish, particularly if they are pro-establishment and supposed to be setting a good example and following government guidelines.

Meanwhile if police find ordinary people have not used the app when raiding a bar or restaurant, they are fined HK$5,000. Will these guests of Witman's be fined as well as quarantined?

Close contacts will quarantine for 14 days now

And domestic helpers enjoying their precious day off on a Sunday are subjected to checks by officers, telling them to sit 1.5 metres apart and a maximum of four to a group -- outdoors. 

At the moment space at Penny's Bay is quickly filling up to capacity, and health experts have suggested that close contacts should only be quarantined for 14 days instead of 21, which the government has finally agreed to. However, those arriving into Hong Kong will still have to quarantine for 21 days.

"We have seen many more confirmed cases lately and therefore many more close contacts, putting pressure on the capacity of quarantine centres. We also considered the fact that the incubation period for Omicron is quite short, within 14 days for most local and imported cases we have seen in Hong Kong," Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection said this afternoon at a press briefing.

Last week 350 people were sent to quarantine, including the infamous birthday party, a dancing cluster, and church-going domestic helpers, and patrons in two restaurants.

Chuang says incubation for Omicron is short

Some of these infected cases can be traced back to Cathay Pacific crew not following their internal quarantine rules, and so there are hints Beijing wants Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor to discipline the airline even further.

Cathay is pretty much on its last legs, trying desperately to stay alive as well as keep its cargo flights going to bring food, vaccines and other necessities into Hong Kong. If the government shuts down Cathay, then are we supposed to depend on Air China? 

The heat is on, and it's not going to be good for anyone, except maybe for the partygoers who may escape  punishment because of their political allegiance... or maybe not...

Helpers Must Get Covid-19 Tested Again

Long lines of helpers waiting to get the Covid-19 test

While Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has backtracked on making vaccinations mandatory for domestic helpers, she today announced they would need to be tested for the coronavirus again, much to the dismay of the top Philippine envoy in Hong Kong.

Only those helpers who have been vaccinated can avoid doing the test again, while the rest of them must stand in line for hours in the heat on their day off.

Lam makes helpers get another round of testing

"It's like we're working in the dark when determining appropriate public health measures," Lam said.

"We have to take precautions before any possible outbreaks, as we had found some infectious Covid-19 variants in the community. Having considered the inconvenience caused to the helpers and the employers [by the previous deadline], we have decided to extend the testing period for the second round."

Wow. How thoughtful of her.

Last time 340,000 helpers were only give nine days to get the tests done, and there were photographs of lines snaking around outside as these women stood in the heat on their day off.

Philippine Consul General Raly Tejada was not pleased on hearing the news of the second round of mandatory testing on Monday from Secretary of Labour Law Chi-kwong.

"I questioned the necessity of another mandatory test, citing the near-perfect compliance of domestic workers to the initial mandatory test," Tejada said. 

Tejada says testing again unfair

"I said that the initial mandatory test was already a success, having caught three cases that were linked to the previous initial case and therefore traceable. I also stated that I find it illogical to not include the employers who are in the same household."

He definitely has a point.

But Law replied saying having to test employers meant testing some 1 million people, which would overstretch testing lab manpower.

What kind of reasoning is that? Three cases were detected among the domestic helper population already. Why the need to test again?

The Indonesian consulate also made a statement, calling the second round of testing an "unfair policy", and that helpers had already been screened.

Lam and her administration should be doing more to encourage more of the local population to get vaccinated instead. 

They continue to have a wait-and-see attitude that makes no sense, as when the vaccines run out, that's it, no more.

Domestic workers want fair treatment

What are they waiting for anyway? For the vaccinated group to sprout green horns and furry paws?

Or for them to suddenly turn into zombies wandering aimlessly around Hong Kong?

Some in their 20s and 30s point out the numbers of people who have died days after getting the jab, but many are seniors who have preexisting health conditions. The chances of young people dying from the vaccine is extremely rare, probably rarer than winning the lottery.

A journalist on Twitter has pointed out that since the take up rate of the vaccine is only 30,000 per day, and the maximum capacity is 50,000, why not allow other people who do not have Hong Kong ID cards take advantage of the jabs, like asylum seekers (about 13,000), and mainland women who are waiting for their residency?

Everyone in the community should be vaccinated regardless of their status if people want Hong Kong to be safer from Covid-19.

We should not waste vaccines -- we should make them available to anyone who wants them. This is a group effort not only for Hong Kong, but the world.

Two Charged for Misleading Contact-Tracing Information

The first local mutant virus strain was found in Jordan in April

A 29-year-old engineer who came back to Hong Kong on holiday from working in Dubai has been charged along with his 31-year-old female friend for withholding details or providing misleading information after it was discovered they were carrying a mutant strain of Covid-19 in the community.

They were arrested Saturday morning taken to Yau Ma Tei police station, the man charged with giving misleading information, the woman for refusing to provide more detailed information.

The pair were taken to Yau Ma Tei police station

It was recently discovered there was a link between the couple and three domestic helpers who were also infected with the same strain of the mutated virus.

The man and his girlfriend, who were infected around three weeks ago, met relatives in Chai Wan, and then three people from that gathering met with the three domestic helpers a few days later in Tung Chung.

Under the Prevention and Control of Disease Ordinance, anyone who knowingly gives false or misleading information in such matters -- including whereabouts, medical history and contact with others -- faces a HK$10,000 fine and six months in jail.

It's good the authorities are cracking down on those who have been found to be withholding information, as this is about protecting public health.

How about charges for those dancing tai tais?

But what about those tai tais and their friends who danced nights away mask-less in dance clubs in November? They refused to reveal all the people they came into contact with. Why not prosecute them? They are responsible for the extended fourth wave we all had to go through...

 

 

Tens of Thousands Get Tested, Zero Local Cases

Domestic helpers wait in long lines to get tested this weekend

It's been a very hot and humid weekend and all domestic helpers in Hong Kong have sacrificed their day off these past two days lining up to get a Covid-19 test after the government demanded they do so by May 9.

That's because two domestic helpers, one in Tung Chung was tested positive with a mutant virus and everyone living in the same residential block as her and her employer were forced to take a test and quarantine for 21 days.

There were no local infections reported

While everyone else tested negative, they still have to quarantine.

The other domestic helper was tested positive during hotel quarantine.

As a result, over 370,000 domestic helpers have had to get the mandatory test, and there are pictures of massive lines everywhere of them waiting for hours in the heat.

The move was slammed by Philippine Consul General Raly Tejada, who said the government should not force all the domestic helpers in the city to get vaccinated, or that all non-resident foreign workers should get the jab too.

"If vaccination becomes a provision to work in Hong Kong, then its application should be non-discriminatory and therefore must not only include [foreign domestic workers], but other non-resident workers who are similarly situated so that there is no feeling of being singled out," Tejada said.

Tejada says all foreign workers should be tested

It's a good point, but is the Hong Kong government listening?

So far as of 6pm this evening, 167,000 tests were taken this weekend and none were positive so far.

While it's a relief to know the results so far are negative, they include some 52,000 domestic helpers. Another 54,000 tests were collected today.

When will this all end?! I know the answer, but does everyone else?

Domestic Helpers Singled Out for Tests, Jabs

People lined up to do mandatory testing in Tung Chung today

 

A residential block in Tung Chung on Lantau Island near the airport was placed under lockdown after it was found a domestic helper tested positive for a mutated strain she contracted locally, causing 950 people to be quarantined. 

All of them tested negative except for the helper's employer's daughter who also tested positive.

Law says domestic helpers are a "high-risk group"

This afternoon the government announced that all domestic helpers in Hong Kong must be tested for the virus by May 9, and they must get vaccinated if they want to apply for a work visa from overseas.

The authorities are concerned the mutated strain may have spread in the community, as it is unclear where the helper contracted the virus.

Labour minister Dr Law Chi-kwong described domestic workers as being a "high-risk group".

"They mainly hang out with their friends during their holidays. If they are infected, that can likely lead to cross-family infections," he told a press briefing today.

"In the long run, we need to think about how to get more domestic workers vaccinated. We will impose new requirements when they apply for work visas, including that they must get inoculated with recognized vaccines when they renew their contracts."

Many helpers gather outside on Sundays

Law doesn't seem to appreciate that these helpers work six days a week and only have one day to rest and socialize with their friends. Don't Hongkongers also meet up with their friends? That's how the fourth wave started, with people gathering in dance clubs and having fun.

And the vast majority of helpers spend their day off outside, not inside in shopping malls, restaurants and each other's homes.

So it's no surprise that news of the compulsory testing and vaccinations sparked an uproar among the 370,000 domestic helpers, with a union leader slamming the government for being "discriminatory" and "blackmailing" them into getting the jab.

Eman Villanueva, spokesman for the Asian Migrants Coordinating Body, said he was shocked the government and made such "unfair" and "shameful" decisions regarding helpers.

"The government knows migrant workers are from a vulnerable sector and it is blackmailing us," said Villanueva, a domestic worker.

Residential block in Tung Chung was locked down

"You get vaccinated or you don't get your visa. This is blackmailing. Will the government do this to other people? Will the government do that to pilots and bankers? No. This is ridiculous."

Eni Lestari, chairperson of the International Migrants Alliance echoed the same frustration.

She pointed out when there are outbreaks in gyms or restaurants, the entire population is not tested, but "even one single domestic worker, if there is one who is infected, the whole community is being blamed and sacrificed... so this is very, very unacceptable."

She said mandatory vaccinations for helpers is also unfair treatment.

"The truth is, a lot of employers also do not get vaccinated because of health, personal or even political reasons, and therefore they do not even force their workers to be vaccinated," Lestari said.

"Why are domestic helpers always being targeted, every time there is an outbreak? There is no scientific evidence that migrant domestic workers, when we gather, or when we get together in the community, are actually causing the outbreak."

On Twitter, the Philippine Consulate General has advised all domestic helpers to comply with the mandatory testing order and get vaccinated to renew contracts.

One wonders if there was any kind of discussion between Hong Kong and the consulate before the announcement?

Number of the Day: 144,000

Even monks are waiting in line to get vaccinated in Hong Kong

Even though 5.5 million people were eligible to sign up for a vaccine yesterday, only 144,000 took up the offer, though it was an eight-fold jump from 18,600 the day before.

It seems a lot of people are still not convinced to get the jab right away, including many domestic helpers, and Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor seemed disappointed by the low-key response.

Carrie Lam answering questions in Legco today

In a question and answer period with lawmakers in the Legislative Council, Lam sought to reassure the public, explaining there was an expert panel who decided on which vaccines to have in Hong Kong. She also said the government was considering ways to nudge people to get vaccinated.

"We are now considering offering incentives not only in aspects of cross-border travel, but also room to relax certain distancing measures for those who have been vaccinated," Lam said.

However, respiratory medicine specialist Dr Leung Chi-chiu believed even if there are incentives to encourage people to get the jab, the relaxation of social-distancing and travel restrictions will be limited until more people are vaccinated.

Leung said there was "a confidence problem that must be addressed", otherwise not enough elderly or vulnerable members of society would get vaccinated. 

Only 144,000 out of 5.5m people signed up

Professor Benjamin Cowling, an epidemiologist from the University of Hong Kong, said he was worried not enough people would take the shots even when there were enough doses for everybody in the city.

A high vaccination rate was the city's "pathway back to normal", he said.

Will people accept the government's incentives? To some degree many will as they are desperate to travel and dine more freely, or see a live show.

But many are in no hurry to get a vaccine yet, forcing everyone else to wait until they get the jab before Hong Kong can finally relax some restrictions.

Get Ready for the Fourth Coronavirus Wave

Hongkongers' test samples will be analyzed in these temporary labs

Today Hong Kong recorded 18 new coronavirus cases, and residents being able to dine in restaurants until 9pm got a slow start. It seems people are not as eager to eat out again, or don't have the financial means to do so.

It must be a struggle for restaurants to stay in business, though many did not expect staying open another three hours would have a dramatic effect on their revenues.

Yuen warns people to prepare for the fourth wave in the fall

As if that wasn't enough bad news, an infectious diseases expert who advises the government on the pandemic, says we should be prepared for a fourth wave coming in the fall, because the cool, dry weather makes it easier to spread respiratory diseases.

"Summarizing Hong Kong's anti-epidemic experience over the last seven months can help us to prepare for the fourth wave of infections in the autumn-winter season this year," Professor Yuen Kwok-yung of the University of Hong Kong said on a radio program today.

He said even if the pandemic eased after two more weeks, it could only be called a "pyrrhic victory".

This latest wave, Yuen said, showed in the gene sequencing that the strain came from southeast Asia and was likely spread in the city by taxi drivers and restaurants.

"So, our border control must be almost 'watertight', and the number of people exempted from quarantine should be minimized as far as possible. All exempted persons should have virus tests in Hong Kong after arrival," he said.

Hui is hoping 5 million people will get tested these two weeks

Yuen also advised residents to minimize the time they spent taking their masks off to dine or chatting in a group, noting over half of the infection clusters were related to restaurants, bars, karaoke lounges and the like.

There were also clusters in wet markets, elderly care homes, construction sites, dormitories for domestic helpers, and the city's port.

To speed up contact tracing, Yuen suggested people take down the license plate numbers of transport that they take, as well as the addresses and phone numbers of restaurants and shops where they spend more than 15 minutes.

It sounds tedious but a good tip to help investigators track down possible close contacts as quickly as possible.

Meanwhile, today is the first day people can register online for universal virus testing that starts on Tuesday. So far 220,00 people have signed up. The government says there is no expected number of participants, though it is strongly urging people to take advantage of the free test, and even took full front page ads of all the Chinese-language newspapers -- except Apple Daily -- to promote the testing.

Chuang is now towing the line, advising people to get tested

Another adviser to the government, Dr David Hui Shu-cheong is hoping 5 million people will get tested during the two-week period.

Will his wish come true?

When it was first reported that the central government would send manpower and fund the universal testing scheme in Hong Kong, the Centre for Health Protection's Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan didn't even know about it.

But this afternoon she recommended that people get tested...

Officials are finally falling into line. But will they take the test themselves?

That's the real test.

Stay Home, Stay Safe

The Hong Kong government strongly advises people to stay home

Some people in Hong Kong still don't get social distancing.

On Sunday afternoon, six men, aged 52 to 68 were playing chess or watching in Kwai Shing East Estate in Kwai Chung when the authorities came by and told them they were breaking the new social-distancing laws.

Restaurants quickly complied to 50 percent capacity rules

But they refused to disperse, so they were each fined HK$2,000 (US$256).

Does that make the game of chess worth it now?

They are the first group of people to be issued the fixed penalty offenses since the gathering ban took effect on March 29.

As of midnight on Monday, officers from various departments have conducted 11,745 inspections that resulted in 1,787 verbal warnings, and six fines that were issued to the chess group.

Yesterday as I was walking along a walkway in Sheung Wan, there were signs in Tagalog telling Filipina domestic helpers not to gather in more than groups of four. The ones I saw complied with the rule, some wearing masks, others not.

Bernard Chan warns of a possible lockdown in Hong Kong

Meanwhile a friend who was in Stanley to deliver food to her mother's friends, saw many people out, both local and gweilo, out shopping. What are they doing? I understand they want to help the local economy, but we're in the midst of a pandemic.

Which is perhaps why senior government advisor Bernard Chan is hinting Hong Kong should do more to prevent a third wave of infections.
 "We could limit restaurants to selling takeaway only. Or we could simply impose a much bigger lockdown across the city, and tell all non-essential businesses to close, so nearly everyone stays at home most of the time for a few weeks," he said on RTHK's Letter to Hong Kong.

"[Expanding precautions] would obviously add to the economic costs. It could also risk spreading panic. But we have to accept that it may be necessary, if the alternative is the risk of something worse."

As of today, the city has a total of 914 cases, 24 new ones, again most of them coming back from overseas, including five from Peru.

Most positive cases are residents returning from overseas

Epidemiologist Yuen Kwok-yung from the University of Hong Kong warns of a potential third wave of cases from mainlanders going back to work, and some may come here.

"This cycle could go on until we have an effective vaccine, or collective immunity in the community reaches about 60 to 80 percent."

So if there are anymore chess players out there who still refuse to comply with the social-distancing laws, then we know who to blame for the lockdown...

Where's the Dignity?

Domestic helpers don't have a voice when it comes to injustices by employers

The relationship between an employer and domestic helper is a uneasy one for both.

Many employers don't know where to draw the line in terms of hours of service and how much help to expect, while the helpers themselves are uncomfortable living with their bosses and having to be available around the clock except Sundays and public holidays.

The 2015 case of Erwiana Sulistyaningsih was shocking -- where the employer stuffed the tube of a vacuum cleaner into her mouth, assaulted her to the point where her teeth were fractured, and even stripped her down, splashed cold water on her and pointed a blowing fan in her face.

Erwiana's case higlighted the abuse of domestic helpers

For this her employer Law Wan-tung was sentenced to six years in prison and fined HK$15,000. While the former beautician claimed it was difficult being in prison and missed her children, why did she do such inhumane things to another person?

It can be hard to understand why employers mistreat their helpers, though by the same token, many aren't interested in the job -- who would like to clean up after people they barely know, and cook food they are not familiar with, look after elderly or babies, and deal with bratty children?

While there are some good relationships employers have with their domestic helpers, there are a lot out there that could be better.

There was the fiasco of how domestic helpers have died from falling out of windows because their employers demanded they do the task, and now the focus has shifted to their living quarters.

Under Hong Kong's labour rules, domestic helpers must live with their employer, who must in turn provide free, suitable accommodation with "reasonable privacy". That sounds very vague.

Some bizarre sleeping arrangements for helpers in the city

And because of that, some employers have taken advantage of the situation to house helpers in the most horrendous environments.

One is coffin-like rooms that are narrow closet spaces that are claustrophobic at 170cm by 69cm.

If there isn't enough room inside, there was a case of an employer forcing their helper to sleep outside on the rooftop where the ceiling was only 1.2 metres high -- hardly high enough to stand up.

According to NGO Mission for Migrant Workers, 3 percent of those surveyed slept in the kitchen. In one case, a helper's bed was located in a cupboard above the fridge and microwave oven.

In 2015, the mission said some helpers reported being forced to sleep on top of fridges. How do you do that? One would have to sleep like a cat curled up. And it would be very warm up there too.

The mission also says some 500 helpers are expected to make their sleeping quarters in the toilet. Chinese newspaper Ming Pao reported one helper had to make her bed on the floor of the toilet, sleeping next to clothes that were just washed and dried. According to other media reports, another helper had to spread a towel across a washer and dryer and sleep on top.

These stories are cases of modern slavery. Why does the Hong Kong government allow this to happen? It's shocking and completely unacceptable. This is what breeds racism and prejudice which is the last thing we need in this city.

It's high time we give domestic helpers their dignity.

Women's Day Rant

Olympic swimmer Stephanie Au campaigns to stop the term "career line"

While it's International Women's Day, it is patronizing to have one day to recognize women today. Even more so are the businesses in Hong Kong that are trying to commercialize the day with special offers for meals and drinks...

The Women's Foundation in Hong Kong has conducted a survey of 1,000 women and found 62 percent discriminated against for their looks, while one-quarter of men aged 31 to 49 believe a women's success is based on her appearance.

Images like these only create expectations of beauty in women

In addition, more than 40 percent of women surveyed thought the Cantonese term "career line", which equates a woman's cleavage to her career progression, was offensive -- I should hope so! However, about 20 percent of men aged under 30 thought it was positive -- and that's scary.

Almost 18 percent of respondents had heard the term "career line" in a professional conversation.

Olympic swimmer Stephanie Au Hoi-shun has been described as "Oriental Venus" by the Chinese media, and that is so wrong on so many levels.

A lot of these perceptions of women are shaped by the media people are exposed to on a daily basis. We are constantly bombarded by images of impossibly tall, beautiful women in advertisements who have probably been photoshopped, and yet men believe these women really exist and belong on their arms.

Women can play hard just like the men, right?

I once spoke to a woman who runs a dating agency in Hong Kong and Singapore and she said men in the former city are unrealistic because they will go on a first date with a woman and then tell the agency to find them an even better looking woman. Whatever happened to what's inside?

And that is probably where men think it's fine to objectify women and that the only way to explain a woman's success is by her so-called "career line".

These attitudes are pathetic and need to change if Hong Kong wants to be considered a progressive society. Women don't even get paid the same amount as men for starters. And then we have women working as domestic helpers...

It's high time for men to consider women as equals. Today should be a day of education and awareness of how much women contribute to our families, communities, and businesses. How the media uses language to describe women also needs to change, and everyone needs to be educated on the reality of advertising, how the images we see everyday are not real at all, but a fantasy.

Clearing the Issue on Windows

The Philippine consulate wants to ban domestic helpers from cleaning windows

There have been far too many incidents of maids -- oh I mean domestic helpers -- falling to their deaths to clean windows for their employers.

Either the bosses are not giving advice on how to clean the windows safely, or they are expecting every inch of the windows to be clean, which in some cases is absolutely impossible without falling out.

I periodically clean the windows of my flat, but there are some areas I cannot reach at all and just have to leave them as is. Nothing's perfect.

Cleaning windows outside is dangerous at any height

But alas, there have been several cases of maids falling out of windows only to die, and that's not worth it at all.

Despite complaints from the Philippine government through the consulate here, the Hong Kong government up to now has done nothing about it.

It was only when the consulate announced earlier this week that a new contractual clause with Filippino domestic helpers state that cleaning the outside of windows was no longer part of their duties did the Hong Kong government freak out and ask for time to figure out how to solve the matter.

So the fact that several domestic helpers have died because they fell out of windows while working in Hong Kong was not enough of an impetus for the government to look into the matter and perhaps discuss the issue with the Philippine consulate?

It seems civil servants also expect super clean windows even though the view outside is basically smog anyway.

The ban was supposed to take effect on Sunday, but after the Hong Kong government pleaded for time, did the consulate postpone the ban until November 14.

Matthew Cheung needs more time to sort out the issue?

Secretary for Labour and Welfare Matthew Cheung Kin-chung welcomed the delay, saying more time was needed to work out the new measures as well as seek a balance between the interests of employers and domestic helpers.

What's there to sort out? This is a matter of safety; everyone will have to just deal with either cleaning the exterior of windows themselves, figure out a procedure and tools to clean them safely, or leave them as is.

By the same token the Philippine government should have discussed the issue with the Hong Kong authorities before instituting the ban.

In Singapore, domestic helpers there haven't had to clean the exterior of windows since 2012, unless the employer is present to supervise the work and a grille is installed and locked at all times during the process.

If and when this contractual clause comes into effect, it could also lead to other countries to have similar clauses in their domestic helpers' contracts, like Indonesia.

As many of these domestic helpers are the main bread winners back home, making their work more safe would be a win-win for everyone. And anyways, haven't we already developed self-cleaning window technology?

Picture of the Day: HSBC's New Weekend Policy

HSBC has cordoned off its walkway on the weekends to ensure no occupation

A local newspaper has an online poll asking if Hong Kong is a racist society. So far 474 people have responded, with 83 percent saying yes, 17 percent no.

Maybe other people thought it was too obvious to bother answering.

I had that reaction when I saw what HSBC headquarters in Central is doing on the weekends these days.

Previously domestic helpers would hang out in the walkway area on Sundays and understandably it was noisy there, and lots of garbage collected, security guards were hired to make sure there was no damage.

But it was a space for them to use, to meet up with their friends and relatives and catch up on the week.

The bank celebrates its 150th anniversary this year, and a few months ago installed some interesting panels showing HSBC's history, as well as lighting on the walkway, and even added lights to the podiums where the two lions, named after Stephen and Stitt, two of HSBC's famous bankers. (Stephen is the one roaring, Stitt sits quietly, apparently reflecting the personalities of the two as well).

Because of the addition of these panels and lighting in the central area of the walkway, this part was cordoned off and the domestic helpers just sat around it, which resulted in many having to find another spot to hang out.

However, now the bank has decided it's had enough of domestic helpers camping out on its space and has set up cordons in the entire area to prevent anyone from sitting down on the ground. On Saturday staff had set up what looked like an endless queue line, but no one in it, and potted plants arranged to make it difficult to hold any kind of gathering.

As a result this afternoon I passed by the bank and saw the helpers had basically occupied the sidewalk in front of HSBC, making it virtually impossible for anyone to walk by.

Is this being racist?

Many people hire domestic helpers because they need two incomes to financially survive and extra help makes a big difference. They are paid lowly wages and in some cases live in horrific conditions and treated badly. By the same token there are others who are much loved by their employers. But as a society can we not give them a decent place to hang out on their only day of rest?