Gradual maid arrivals to help minimize risks

Eight hundred quarantine rooms for foreign domestic helpers at Penny's Bay are set to be occupied within 16 days, says Secretary for Labour and Welfare Law Chi-kwong.

Starting from 9am tomorrow, employers and employment agencies can book rooms on the helper portal of the Labour Department. Rooms will be available from September 20.

The quarantine center on Lantau will provide 50 places per day - a measure for helpers to come to Hong Kong gradually to minimize Covid-19 risks. A room costs HK$480 a night, including meals.

With hotel rooms offered by Silka Tsuen Wan, from 65 to 66 rooms will be available for incoming helpers, a number that Law said is close to the average number of helpers' arrivals in April before flights from the Philippines were suspended.

Silka Tsuen Wan, one of the two designated quarantine facilities for domestic helpers, was fully booked until November despite charging HK$800 a night.

Law also noted the seven-day moving average of infections within the Philippines is on the rise.

From August 30 to September 7, some 200 Filipino and 70 Indonesian helpers arrived in Hong Kong.

And as of Friday, 12 Filipino helpers were confirmed with Covid-19. That infection rate of 6 percent was much higher than vaccinated people arriving from other countries.

But Law dismissed the idea of extending the quarantine period for helpers to 28 days.

"The vast majority of confirmed cases of domestic helpers recently were detected upon arrival immediately or within three days," he said.

"So far, there is no evidence to show a need to extend the quarantine period."

Law said authorities will review the situation and determine whether to add another quarantine center or further strengthen the control of helpers' arrivals and quarantine measures.

Mike Cheung Chung-wai, president of the Overseas Employment Centre, was disappointed that authorities did not plan to increase rooms.

"The demand has not changed during the pandemic," he claimed. "There were around 300 domestic helpers coming to Hong Kong daily before the pandemic."

He said the number of employers approaching him has doubled since authorities announced the Penny's Bay center arrangement for helpers last week.

And he hopes authorities can consider designating more hotels for helpers to quarantine rather than limiting them to two facilities.

carine.chow@singtaonewscorp.com