KAKAMMPI News

South China Morning Post Posted at Apr 28 2021 07:03 AM Hong Kong's struggling restaurants and bars stand to benefit from the relaxation of social-distancing measures from Thursday, but only if they can comply with a complicated new set of rules, with vaccination as a key condition. Secretary for Food and Health Professor Sophia Chan Siu-chee announced on Tuesday a series of coming rule changes for the pandemic-battered food and beverage industry under the new bubble, with the measures subject to review after two weeks. "This vaccine bubble is a very important public health measure so that on one hand, we can have a safe relaxation (of rules), and on the other hand, we can also mitigate the risks associated with the relaxation," she said Under the bubble, bars and nightclubs without restaurant licenses - which have been closed entirely since late November - will be allowed to reopen at half capacity until 2am, with seating capped at two patrons per table. However, tha...

ABS-CBN News Posted at Apr 28 2021 07:25 AM BEIJING—China's foreign ministry on Tuesday said it had lodged solemn representations to Japan over its annual diplomacy report, which expressed grave concerns on China's military capabilities and maritime activities. China urged Japan to redress its mistake, and build stable relations between the two countries with concrete actions, ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a regular news briefing. Meanwhile, Beijing urged Philippine authorities to "respect" its supposed sovereignty over South China Sea, as Manila ramped up maritime drills and patrols in the area amid growing tensions. In a public briefing on Monday, Wang told Philippine officials to "stop actions complicating the situation and escalating disputes." Chance of China, Taiwan conflict should not be discounted, says Australian minister Wang said China has sovereignty over what it calls the Nansha Islands or the Spratlys, which includes Zhongye Islan...

Shilpa Jamkhandikar, Rupam Jain, and Sanjeev Miglani, ReutersNEW DELHI - Vital medical supplies poured into India on Tuesday as hospitals starved of life-saving oxygen and beds turned away coronavirus patients, while a surge in infections pushed the death toll towards 200,000. A shipment from Britain, including 100 ventilators and 95 oxygen concentrators, arrived in Delhi, said Reuters partner ANI, while France is sending oxygen generators able to provide 250 patients with a year's worth of the gas, its embassy said. The first "Oxygen Express" train pulled into the capital, New Delhi, laden with about 70 tonnes of oxygen from an eastern state, but the crisis has not abated in the city of 20 million at the epicenter of the latest wave of infections. "For seven days, most of us haven't slept," said Dr K. Preetham, an administrator at the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre, adding that the shortage of oxygen was a crucial worry. "Because of the scarcity, we...

"If you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing many things that you had stopped doing because of the pandemic," the CDC said in a statement. Masks are still considered necessary for vaccinated people if they are at concerts, parades or large sporting events, even when outdoors, the CDC said. Indoor activities also remain under a masks recommendation. This includes movie theaters and even "uncrowded" indoor shopping centers and museums, the CDC said. Fully-vaccinated people can gather without masks: CDC More than half of all US adults have now received at least one of two vaccine doses. The surging rate of people seeking out vaccines has begun to taper, but new Covid-19 cases are also falling. Biden said the change signified a shift in the way people can enjoy life as the summer approaches. "Beginning today, gathering with a group of friends in a park, going for a picnic -- as long as you are vaccinated and outdoors, you can do it without a mask," h...

Sebastian Smith, Agence France-Presse Posted at Apr 28 2021 07:34 AM Biden told the nation in televised remarks from the leafy North Lawn that "stunning progress" has been made in getting vaccines administered and that stringent mask recommendations can now be relaxed. "For those who haven't gotten their vaccination yet, especially if you're younger, or thinking you don't need it, this is another great reason to go get vaccinated. Now. Now," Biden said. He was speaking shortly after the Centers for Disease Control, the top government health agency, notified fully vaccinated Americans that they can go mask-free most of the time outdoors.

Published April 27, 2021 11:29pm Filipinos in India are desperate to return home as the coronavirus disease pandemic killed over 200,000 people in the South Asian country. In Dano Tingcungco's Tuesday report on State of the Nation, Fatima Sharma, a Filipino living in India, said her fellow Filipinos were "anxious" to go home because India was overwhelmed with COVID-19 cases. "Ang situation in India is worse. I think. This is worse than last year," said Sharma. Anabelle Villamarin, a school principal living in Haryana state, said she received reports that wives are performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on their husbands, who are having difficulty breathing. She said she spotted some people leaving their parents in driveways because they could no longer take care of them. Villamarin also said most of her Filipino friends wanted to return to the Philippines because the COVID-19 situation in India was "very dire." "Siyempre kailangan ...

By JULIA MARI ORNEDO, GMA News Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Tuesday said he has recommended that the Philippine government impose a temporary ban on travelers from India. advertisement “I have suggested to the IATF that a travel ban be imposed on all our good friends in the entire Indian subcontinent,” he said on Twitter, referring to the government’s inter-agency task force for COVID-19. “It’s not personal; it’s for everyone’s safety for now; we’ll be able to be together again,” he added. The Department of Health earlier said it spoke with the DFA to discuss a possible ban on travelers from India, which is battling a surge in COVID-19 cases that has severely strained its healthcare system. Experts said the surge in India was largely driven by a new coronavirus variant described as a “double mutant” due to its mutations. Philippine health authorities said this variant has not been detected locally yet. The country has so far recorded 659...

By LLANESCA T. PANTI, GMA News Two Filipinos in India died due to COVID-19, Philippine Ambassador to India Ramon Bagatsing Jr. said Tuesday. advertisement Bagatsing said the two Filipinos were diagnosed with COVID-19 last April 23 and died three days later as India battles a raging COVID-19 surge which saw over a million new COVID-19 cases recorded this week alone. “It is really bad here. May dalawang nasawi [na Pilipino]. We learned they were positive in April 23 then April 26, wala na. It happened very fast. Traydor itong virus na ito. They call it double mutant strain,"” Bagatsing said during the Laging Handa briefing. (Two Filipinos died, and they died within three days. It was very fast. The virus is a traitor.) “They (those who died) are of managerial level. I cannot give further details to give due respect to the family,” he added. Bagatsing said 20 other Filipinos in India are also infected with COVID-19. “They are confined, isolated,” he said. “We are doing every...

By: Erik Imson / Photos: Eric Delos Reyes Mandaluyong City. The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) donated Php350,000.00 worth of personal protective equipment (PPE) and Vitamin C o the tPhilippine National Police Medical Reserve Force (PNP-MRF) on April 7, 2021 at the PCSO Main Office in Sun Plaza Building, Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong City. In behalf of PCSO General Manager Royina Marzan Garma, the donated items were turned over by Ms. Louise Serojales to PolLtCol Regina N. Basco. The PNP-MRF is the unit which manages the isolation and swabbing facilities at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City, Philippine Sports Complex/University of Life in Pasig City and at the Mall of Asia Arena Mega Swabbing Facility in Pasay City. The items donated consists of face shields, N95 face masks, surgical gloves, goggles and shoe protectors. It is fitting that the PNP-MRF personnel are provided with the added protection against the virus especially a...

Mandaluyong City. The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) provided medical aid to 21,599 Filipinos amounting to Php145,067,854.17 from March 1 to 31, 2021under the Medical Access Program (MAP) of the agency. Under the program, PCSO assists individuals of their medical needs and expenses arising from Hospital Confinement, Chemotherapy, Dialysis, Hemophilia and provision of Post-transplant Medicines. Despite the alarming increase of Covid-19 cases that have again filled up most hospitals in Metro Manila and the risk of infection is higher due to the mutated strain of the virus, the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) soldiered on and was able to provide medical assistance to our countrymen. On a per case basis for the month of March, Php76,797,361.77 was given to 9,448 patients that needed hospital confinement. Php42,557,604.89 went to dialysis sessions of 9,287 patients. 2,603 patients who seek chemotherapy treatments were granted a total of Php23,188,06...

South China Morning Post Posted at Apr 05 2021 09:11 AM Workers from Hong Kong's pubs, karaoke bars and mahjong parlors have started a four-day hunger strike outside the city's legislature to pressure the government into allowing them to reopen as new coronavirus infections have remained low. Although authorities relaxed social-distancing measures and reopened beaches and public swimming pools on Friday ahead of the Easter break, pubs, karaoke bars and mahjong parlors are yet to be allowed to resume activities. "We previously met with the government and hoped they would throw us a lifeline and allow us to open for Easter," said Ben Leung Lap-yan, charter president of the Licensed Bar and Club Association of Hong Kong. "They said they would give us a chance, but in the end there was no such hope for a revival," he said. If the government continued to keep these venues closed, at least half of the city's 1,400 licensed bars would face closure after Ea...

LONDON - Britain reported 10 deaths from COVID-19 within 28 days of a positive test on Saturday, the lowest daily figure since early September, as its vaccine rollout reached another milestone. Official data also showed 31,301,267 people had received their first shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, with five million now having had both doses in what is the fastest rollout in Europe. "Our spectacular vaccination program has now delivered over five million second doses, giving those most vulnerable to COVID - including half of all those aged over 80 - the best possible protection," health minister Matt Hancock said in a statement. Britain remains on track to hit the government's target of offering a vaccine shot to all over-50s by mid-April and all adults by the end of July, the government said. The latest data also showed there were 3,423 new cases, a slight rise from 3,402 reported the day before, though unlike countries such as France and Germany which are battling a third wa...

By JOAHNA LEI CASILAO, GMA News Amid the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes abroad, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Friday reminded Filipinos in the United States to remain vigilant and report any incident against the Filipino community. advertisement “We urge our kababayans in New York and surrounding areas to remain vigilant and to immediately report any incident of hate crimes against members of the Filipino Community,” the DFA said in a statement. The DFA issued the advisory as it welcomed the arrest of the suspect in the attack on a 65-year-old Filipina near Times Square in Manhattan, New York City on Monday. Reports state that the victim, Vilma Kari, was walking down a street on Monday when a man suddenly kicked her in the stomach. Upon falling to the ground, the attacker kicked Kari on the head three times. The suspect, identified as Brandon Elliot, was arrested the following day and charged with felony assault as a hate crime.

The coronavirus has killed at least 2,847,182 people since the outbreak emerged in China in December 2019, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP, as of Monday. At least 130,685,270 cases have been registered. The countries with the most new deaths were Brazil with 1,987, followed by United States with 800 and India with 513. The United States remains the worst-affected country with 554,779 deaths from 30,671,844 cases. Here are other global updates regarding COVID-19: - Pope urges vaccine sharing - Pope Francis urges Catholics to remain hopeful, in his Easter Sunday address, calling vaccines an "essential tool" in ending the pandemic and urging their swift rollout to the world's poorest countries. - UK virus certificates - Britain is to trial a system of "Covid status certification" at events including football matches in the coming weeks as a possible way out of virus restrictions. - Canada surpasses 1 mn cases - Canada crosses t...

By JOAHNA LEI CASILAO, GMA News Amid the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes abroad, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Friday reminded Filipinos in the United States to remain vigilant and report any incident against the Filipino community. advertisement “We urge our kababayans in New York and surrounding areas to remain vigilant and to immediately report any incident of hate crimes against members of the Filipino Community,” the DFA said in a statement. The DFA issued the advisory as it welcomed the arrest of the suspect in the attack on a 65-year-old Filipina near Times Square in Manhattan, New York City on Monday. Reports state that the victim, Vilma Kari, was walking down a street on Monday when a man suddenly kicked her in the stomach. Upon falling to the ground, the attacker kicked Kari on the head three times. The suspect, identified as Brandon Elliot, was arrested the following day and charged with felony assault as a hate crime. “We express our gratitude to the New ...

LGBTQIA+ advocacy group Bahaghari on Wednesday said the Australian government must be held accountable for an Australian court's ruling in a case involving the death of a transgender Filipina. On September 21, 2019, police received a complaint from a house in Tarcutta Street in the city of Wagga Wagga in New South Wales. Mhelody Bruno, 25, was brought to the hospital, where she died the next day. According to reports, former Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) corporal Rian Toyer, now 33, claimed that Bruno's death was an accident during an act of consensual erotic asphyxiation. In a statement, Bahaghari alleged that consent was never established, "yet undue weight was given to the Australian soldier’s testimony anyway." New South Wales District Judge Gordon Lerve initially sentenced Toyer to an Intensive Correction Order and 500 hours' community service, and no jail time. Days later, Lerve resentenced Toyer to 22 months' imprisonment including 12 months o...

Rudy Santos (The Philippine Star ) - March 15, 2021 - 12:00am MANILA, Philippines — Saudi Arabia is abolishing the kafala sponsorship system, giving all foreign workers, especially overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), the freedom to enter and exit the country without seeking an employer’s permission. Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development announced in November last year that it would implement this month new conditions under which expatriate workers in the Kingdom can benefit, with the aim of improving the kafala sponsorship system in the Kingdom. Recruitment and migration expert Manny Geslani said from now on, OFWs can ask to change employers, leave the country upon the expiration of their contracts and be allowed more liberal conditions from their employers. This is especially applicable to Filipino household service workers who are prone to having abusive employers, since the kafala was considered a form of slavery, according to the United Nations.

Tiniyak ng Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) sa mga accredited health care providers nito na babayaran nila sa takdang oras ang mga claim na walang deficiency at naaayon sa mga polisiya ng programa. Ito ang nilinaw ng state health insurer sa gitna ng mga pahayag ng Private Hospital Association of the Philippines, Inc. (PHAPi) na umano’y hindi pagbabayad ng mga claim sa mga miyembro nitong ospital na umaabot sa P6 Bilyon. Sinabi rin ng ahensya na ang binigyang-tuon lamang sa usapin ay ang mga hindi bayad na claim at nalimutan ang P25 Bilyon na nabayaran sa taong 2020. Batay sa record, tumanggap ang PhilHealth ng kabuuang 3 milyong claims mula sa PHAPi member hospitals simula January hanggang December 2020, kung saan 87% ay nabayaran na ng P25 bilyon habang nasa 5% o nagkakahalaga ng mahigit sa P1 Bilyon naman ang nasa iba’t-ibang estado ng pagpoproseso. Samantala, sa kabuuang claims na natanggap, 8% na nagkakahalaga ng P2.4 bilyon ay ibinalik sa mga ospi...

As ECQs pull down service coverage to 2018 levels: POPCOM to work closer with LGUs for home delivery of FP supplies With the latest implementation of the enhanced community quarantine in Metro Manila and adjacent provinces, as well as the possible extensions in time and coverage looming in the midst of a raging pandemic, the Commission on Population and Development is expecting an added strain to local health systems that will adversely affect the delivery of family planning supplies and services. As such, the government agency will be tightly collaborating with local government units not just in the National Capital Region and its nearby provinces, but also nationwide, to guarantee the steady supply of family planning commodities, while going to great lengths to ensure services will remain uninterrupted by conducting house-to-house deliveries of pills and condoms. This, as the “NCR Plus” is currently placed under a stricter lockdown until Easter Sunday, with a possi...