 |
| Agencies says employers are turned off by the high cost of the swab test and quarantine for the OFWs |
Most, if not all, overseas Filipino workers bound for Hong Kong will not be flying out soon as highly
restrictive pre-boarding requirements are due to take effect starting tomorrow,
Jul 25.
At least one employment agency group in Hong Kong says it
will not deploy any domestic worker from the Philippines
“That’s why we are expecting nearly zero deployment starting
from midnight tonight, for at least a week, up to two weeks,” said Thomas Chan,
head of the Hong Kong Union of Employment Agencies.
 |
| Pindutin para sa detalye! |
The biggest problem appears to be the 72-hour validity of
the Covid-19 swab test which everyone traveling from the Philippines must test
negative to, before being allowed to board a flight bound for Hong Kong.
Enquiries made by several people, including the agency
group, showed that only two hospitals in Metro Manila could guarantee a result
in under 72 hours, but the cost is prohibitive.
Chan said: “According to my partner, an inquiry with the
listed medical institutions (38) in Manila , only
two replied they can release the report within 72 hours: Makati
Medical Center
and Chinese General
Hospital General
Hospital
Separate inquiries made by two would-be travelers yielded a
price of Php12,000 for Chinese General for a test with 12-hour result. The
cheaper one could be released only after 3-5 days.
Makati Medical, which some people who wanted to get out of
quarantine in Manila fast had used, cost only Php9,000 previously, but it seems
to be charging more now because of the increase in demand.
And even with the hefty price tag, another traveler reported
that the earliest available testing date given by the hospital is July 31.
 |
| Swab test results that meet HK's time bar cost upwards of Php12k per person |
The high cost of testing appears to have turned off many
Hong Kong employers, who must also pay for the cost of the 14-day quarantine
required of all newly arrived FDHs from the Philippines
and Indonesia
 | |
|
“Some employers are calling us either to postpone the
deployment or cancel the (work) visa of those in the Philippines, and hire
those already in Hong Kong instead,” said Chan,
By so doing, the employers get to save the cost of the swab
test and hotel quarantine for the new helper, and on top of this, are assured
that the replacement worker can start immediately after their work visa is
released.
Since the coronavirus outbreak started to worsen in
February, the Hong Kong Immigration Department has relaxed its visa rules for
FDHs.
 |
| PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE |
Those who finish their two-year contracts are allowed to
extend their visas, instead of taking a home leave within a year. Those who are
terminated are even allowed to process a new contract here, and move to their
new employer after their new visa is issued.
Chan said their counterpart agencies in the Philippines
“They have (decided) to cancel flights and wait for any new
amendment to the guidelines from the Hong Kong
government.”
 |
| Chan (right) with another HKUEA officer at a press conference earlier |
The HKUEA had previously asked the Hong Kong government to
extend the cut-off time for the swab test result to seven days, which they say
is in line with the rules set by neighboring Guangdong
Chan said he had personally spoken with Dr Sophia Chan,
secretary for food and health, and she assured him that their request had been
forwarded to medical experts. He will be updated on Monday if Hong
Kong decides to amend the restriction.
 |
| Tunghayan ang isa na namang Kwentong Dream Love |
Under the law on cross-border regulation for the prevention
of disease which was gazetted on Jul 15, all travelers arriving from seven
countries: the Philippines, Indonesia, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and
South Africa, must present a negative test result prior to boarding planes
bound for Hong Kong.
The original test result must be presented, along with a
certificate showing the laboratory that conducted the test was authorized by
the country of origin.
The traveler must also show proof of a confirmed reservation
in a Hong Kong hotel for at least 14 days for
their mandatory quarantine.
The rules are to take effect on Jul 25, one week after they
were announced.
Two other countries, the United States
