Filipino musician veteran in Hong Kong’s biggest group beats combat with COVID-19

HONG KONG: Having to juggle two jobs both day and night, the restless routine has kept veteran Filipino musician M.P. to socialize after their regular concerts.

It turned out to be the 746th Hong Kong Covid-19 patient. And 98 people after him came his wife, patient number 844 from Hong Kong. To date, they are now among at least 967 patients who have recovered and been discharged, as the city began easing restrictions on Friday, after two weeks without local broadcasts.

The reopening of bars, gyms, cinemas, beauty salons and massages was permitted. However, the bars can only operate at medium capacity and must guarantee a distance of 1.5 meters between the tables. Live music performances and dancing are not allowed. Karaokes, party rooms and nightclubs must be closed for an additional 14 days.

Gyms, movie theaters, and beauty salons should also ensure social distancing, such as having adequate space between yoga mats, performing temperature controls, and providing hand sanitizer. Some schools will also start opening in late May.

The total number of cases, as of May 9, is 1,045 (with one probable case). There were also no cases reported the same day. Most of those who tested positive for the virus recently returned from Pakistan, but the vigilante city figures have remained reassuringly low for some time.

Speaking to ABS-CBN News via video call from his bed in the confines of Queen Elizabeth Hospital on April 21, a day before being discharged, a 58-year-old MP, also a permanent resident of Hong Kong and working in A The daytime remittance company believes that Hong Kong’s largest group, the bar and the band, may have started in Wanchai instead of Lan Kwai Fong, Central.

“Hindi ko akalain na magkakaroon ako kasi ‘di ako nakikipag socialize after work e … kasi umuuwi agad ako dahil may laboho ako sa araw. Di ako nakikipag kwentuhan after work. Ang pasok ko mga 8am,” M.P. he told ABS-CBN News.

“Iyun pala nung halos na confine na kami lahat, halos yung staff ng Dusk Til Dawn halos lahat nagkaron pala,” said M.P.

(I didn’t think I would have it because I don’t socialize after work … because I go home right away since I have work during the day. I work at 8 am. And then, when most of us had been confined, almost everything Dusk Til Dawn staff contracted the virus.)

M.P. Remember that one of his fellow musicians was admitted to the hospital on March 21 and tested positive the next day. They did not think they would contract the disease. On March 24, he says, his administration was supposed to hold a meeting, but that was not achieved after a member of the administration also tested positive for the new coronavirus.

“Tapos sinabihan kaming mag pa-check lahat. Say nung nag pa-check ako noong on March 24, negative pa kasi hindi pa lumalabas yung symptoms e. Tapos advised the Health Department of all staff about quarantine,” said M.P.

Tadal at noon dadalhin na kami quarantined at noon on March 26, hindi ako sinakay by bus kasi meron akong fever. Yun na pala yun tapes pinauwi ako sa bahay. Tapes nung nasa bahay ako, knowing the Health Department hintay lang daw ako I- admit nila ako sa hospital. Bale an yun, Thursday tapos Friday wala na akong lagnat, “he added.

(Then they told us to have a checkup. So when I had the checkup on March 24, it was negative because the symptoms had not appeared. Then, the Health Department advised quarantine for all the staff. When they were about to They sent me to be quarantined on March 26, I was not allowed to get on the bus because I had a fever. That was it and they told me to come home. Then, when I was home, the Health Department told me to wait. Hospital. It was Thursday. By Friday, my fever was gone.)

When his waiting time took a while, he decided to go to the Kwong Wah Hospital in Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon, and was admitted for a test. It was there that it was confirmed positive. He was admitted on March 21, but was later transferred to Queen Elizabeth Hospital because Kwong Wah Hospital reportedly had no space to accommodate him.

Meanwhile, his wife, with whom he lives, also tested positive for the virus, but had a low bacterial count. She did not feel a fever until her temperature was checked before boarding the bus to the quarantine center. She was treated at the Prince of Wales Hospital in Shatin.

Some of his colleagues who were able to go into quarantine eventually started showing symptoms and were later confirmed to be positive.

News about a 29-year-old Filipino musician who tested positive for Covid-19 at Lan Kwai Fong, an employee of the Step by Step Company, was first published on March 23. Data from the Center for Health Protection showed that her start date started on March 17 when she reported that she had a cough and fever.

M.P., also an employee of the same company, but with a different gang, suspects that he hired Covid-19 from a client, most likely one who recently returned from a trip abroad.

M.P. He says that his fellow musicians would rotate between the four bars, mainly Insomnia at Lan Kwai Fong, Dusk Til Dawn and Center Stage, both in Wanchai, and All Night Long at Tsim Sha Tsui. They would receive a text message at 4pm every day about where they would be assigned to play, take a day off, or continue playing at the same location. It has been the system, he says, since 2001.

Two of his other five bandmates, the bassist and the drummer, also tested positive for Covid-19. M.P. He says this is the first time he’s been hospitalized. Treatments on him were also done gently because he had an underlying disease. Despite the test, the Filipino remains positive.

“Pagka natamaan ka ng virus, ‘di ka naman mamamatay. Yun ang kinakatakot ng iba, mamamatay sila. Hindi naman and a death penalty. Walang epekto sa akin,” said M.P.

“Yung iba natakot tapos biglang napaano tuloy sa bible ng di oras … paranging nalap malapit sa Diyos ganon. Maski ganito ako, may Relations talaga ako (sa diyos),” he added.

(When the virus hits you, you will not die. That is what many fear, that they will die. It is not a death sentence. It has no effect on me. Others suddenly turned to the Bible and approached God. Even if I am well, I have a relationship with God)

Despite the current situation, M.P. He tells ABS-CBN News that some financial aid from the Hong Kong government could be extended through the company he works for at night. She also said that, as a Covid-19 patient, she received a check from Community Chest, a local charity.

With many jobs as in other sectors, a spokesman for the Office of Internal Affairs told ABS-CBN News that musicians with part-time jobs in other industries, such as education, construction, etc., may try to take advantage of the scheme. through different routes. they were being assisted by the government’s anti-epidemic fund.

In its April 30 press release, the Home Office said the $ 150 million Art and Culture Sector Grant Plan, which was established under the Anti-Epidemic Fund (AEF) to help the art and culture sector ” navigating through the difficulties stemming from COVID -19 “, she has disbursed nearly $ 100 million so far to relevant organizations to assist various arts groups and independent art workers.

Since March, HAB says it has distributed more than $ 50 million in grants to nine major performing arts groups, 14 local partners from the Department of Cultural and Leisure Services, 33 beneficiaries of the Artistic Capacity Development Financing Plan for HAB, the Hong Kong Arts Festival Society and the Hong Kong Maritime Museum.

“Under the arts and culture sector grant scheme, HAB has entrusted the Hong Kong Arts Development Council (HKADC) to implement the support scheme for the arts and culture sector ( support) for a total of $ 50 million, which covers actions and activities affected by the epidemic from January 29 to June 30, 2020, “HAB said in its press release.

“In addition to the ongoing provision of approved annual grants and projects, the HKADC has dispersed an additional $ 80,000 grant to each of the 42 organizations receiving HKADC grants and a $ 15,000 grant to each of the 203 funded projects / activities commissioned by the HKADC in March. The HKADC has also advised these arts groups to use the grants to pay the salaries of their staff, contractors and independent workers as much as possible, “he added.

Additionally, art projects not funded by HKADC and freelancers are also covered by the Support Plan. The HKADC has received applications from more than 340 relevant projects and around 2,000 freelancers.

The HKADC said it will approve the grants to eligible applicants “as soon as possible.”

“In addition to the salaries of the arts groups that hired them for a project, arts and culture freelancers can also apply for grants of up to $ 7,500 from the HKADC for other arts and culture jobs affected by the epidemic,” the report read. release.