Foreign domestic helpers gather at Victoria Park, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong on March 15, 2021. (EDMOND TANG/CHINA DAILY)
HONG KONG – Hong Kong reported two imported COVID-19 cases on Friday, pushing the city’s tally to 12,004, as new border control measures for foreign domestic helpers will come to effect on Aug 9.
Foreign domestic helpers who are currently in the Philippines and Indonesia could come to work in the financial hub from Aug 9 if they have been fully vaccinated in Hong Kong before, the Labour Department said on Friday.
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The government announced earlier this week that overseas inbound travelers will be subject to new border control measures that are also applicable to helpers coming from the Philippines and Indonesia.
Domestic helpers who planned to return to Hong Kong have to present proof of a negative nucleic acid test result for COVID-19 conducted within 72 hours before their scheduled departure time.
Friday’s two new patients were a 41-year-old man flying in from Russia and a 36-year-old woman from the United States, according to a statement issued by the Centre for Health Protection
They also need to produce confirmation of room reservation at a designated quarantine hotel for not less than 21 nights starting on the day of their arrival, the department said.
“Helpers failing to meet any of the relevant requirements may not be allowed to board a flight for Hong Kong or may be denied entry upon arrival,” it added.
As to foreign helpers who do not possess a recognized vaccination record, the government is discussing with the consulates-general of major helper-sending countries, including the Philippines and Indonesia, ways to verify the authenticity of their vaccination records.
The government is also planning to arrange for such helpers to be centrally quarantined in one to two hotels and details will be announced later, the department added.
Friday’s two new patients were a 41-year-old man flying in from Russia and a 36-year-old woman from the United States, according to a statement issued by the Centre for Health Protection.
Both remained asymptomatic and the woman has been fully inoculated with the BioNTech vaccine back in May in Hong Kong.
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The center is also investigating a case involving a 29-year-old woman who tested positive for the virus upon her arrival in Tokyo from Hong Kong. She flew to Japan on July 29 via Cathay Pacific flight CX520 and her samples collected the next day tested positive.
The premises where she had resided and worked in Hong Kong during the possible incubation period would be issued with a mandatory testing order. They include The Premier of Chianti housing estate in Discovery Bay on Lantau Island and Unit 2107 of Mira Place Tower Ain Tsim Sha Tsui, the center said.
As of Thursday, more than 3.4 million people in Hong Kong have received at least the first vaccine dose, accounting for 50 percent of the eligible population – people aged 12 and above. Among them, nearly 2.59 million have been fully vaccinated.