Helpers Must Get Covid-19 Tested Again

Long lines of helpers waiting to get the Covid-19 test

While Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has backtracked on making vaccinations mandatory for domestic helpers, she today announced they would need to be tested for the coronavirus again, much to the dismay of the top Philippine envoy in Hong Kong.

Only those helpers who have been vaccinated can avoid doing the test again, while the rest of them must stand in line for hours in the heat on their day off.

Lam makes helpers get another round of testing

"It's like we're working in the dark when determining appropriate public health measures," Lam said.

"We have to take precautions before any possible outbreaks, as we had found some infectious Covid-19 variants in the community. Having considered the inconvenience caused to the helpers and the employers [by the previous deadline], we have decided to extend the testing period for the second round."

Wow. How thoughtful of her.

Last time 340,000 helpers were only give nine days to get the tests done, and there were photographs of lines snaking around outside as these women stood in the heat on their day off.

Philippine Consul General Raly Tejada was not pleased on hearing the news of the second round of mandatory testing on Monday from Secretary of Labour Law Chi-kwong.

"I questioned the necessity of another mandatory test, citing the near-perfect compliance of domestic workers to the initial mandatory test," Tejada said. 

Tejada says testing again unfair

"I said that the initial mandatory test was already a success, having caught three cases that were linked to the previous initial case and therefore traceable. I also stated that I find it illogical to not include the employers who are in the same household."

He definitely has a point.

But Law replied saying having to test employers meant testing some 1 million people, which would overstretch testing lab manpower.

What kind of reasoning is that? Three cases were detected among the domestic helper population already. Why the need to test again?

The Indonesian consulate also made a statement, calling the second round of testing an "unfair policy", and that helpers had already been screened.

Lam and her administration should be doing more to encourage more of the local population to get vaccinated instead. 

They continue to have a wait-and-see attitude that makes no sense, as when the vaccines run out, that's it, no more.

Domestic workers want fair treatment

What are they waiting for anyway? For the vaccinated group to sprout green horns and furry paws?

Or for them to suddenly turn into zombies wandering aimlessly around Hong Kong?

Some in their 20s and 30s point out the numbers of people who have died days after getting the jab, but many are seniors who have preexisting health conditions. The chances of young people dying from the vaccine is extremely rare, probably rarer than winning the lottery.

A journalist on Twitter has pointed out that since the take up rate of the vaccine is only 30,000 per day, and the maximum capacity is 50,000, why not allow other people who do not have Hong Kong ID cards take advantage of the jabs, like asylum seekers (about 13,000), and mainland women who are waiting for their residency?

Everyone in the community should be vaccinated regardless of their status if people want Hong Kong to be safer from Covid-19.

We should not waste vaccines -- we should make them available to anyone who wants them. This is a group effort not only for Hong Kong, but the world.