A Filipina domestic worker in Ma On Shan was placed in quarantine last January 25, after two of her employer’s house guests tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus, the fourth and fifth such confirmed cases in Hong Kong.
The information had also been confirmed on Jan 26, by Consul General Raly Tejada, who said the Filipina was healthy and showed no signs of infection.
Pinay DH Quarantined After Sharing Apartment with 2 Coronavirus Patients
Despite her present healthy state, the Filipina was contact-traced to her employer’s two guests in Ma On Shan who were tested positive according to Consul General Raly Tejada, as shared in a report by the Sun HK.
ConGen Tejada explained, “Given Hong Kong’s strict protocols and heightened emergency alert, even healthy individuals maybe subjected to quarantine procedures if there is proof of contact.”
Tejada assured that the Consulate is in close contact with the HK Department of Health and will extend assistance to the worker as needed.
“We are hoping she remains healthy and eventually released,” he said.
Tejada also shared that the Consulate is ready to help any Filipinos needing assistance, for that matter.
It is not clear, however, how long the Filipina would be quarantined. It is the first reported case of a Filipino being affected by the rapidly spreading novel coronavirus, which was first traced to the central Chinese city of Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province.
For her part, Chief Executive Carrie Lam had already raised the highest emergency level for Hong Kong, saying the situation has reached a “critical point,” two days after Hong Kong’s first two coronavirus cases had been confirmed.
Lam also confirmed reports that schools across the city would reopen on Feb. 17, two weeks later than was previously announced.
Meanwhile, the annual Hong Kong marathon, scheduled for Feb. 5 and 6, has also been scrapped, to prevent large numbers of people converging in the city. All public celebrations of the Lunar New Year have also been shelved for the same reasons as per the Hong Kong government.
Despite all this, Mrs. Lam rejected calls for the border with the mainland to be closed, noting that such a move would be “inappropriate and impractical.”
The heightened alert n Hong Kong reflects steps taken by most major cities across China, including Beijing and Shanghai, as the rate of contamination continues to rise.
According to reports gathered, some patients did not show the usual symptoms, including a two-year-old boy in Shenzhen who had no fever, cough or sore throat, but tests showed he had pneumonia and was positive for the coronavirus.
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