Coronavirus: Hong Kong employment agents expect thousands of Filipino domestic workers to arrive as city lifts travel ban
- More than 5,000 could not travel after Hong Kong banned flights from the Philippines in January
- Agents find it easy to book flights, quarantine hotels, but expect demand to surge in coming weeks
As thousands of foreign domestic helpers from the Philippines were allowed into Hong Kong from Friday when the city lifted its flight ban, employment agents said they hoped to clear a backlog of stranded workers in the coming two months.
Philippine consul-general Raly Tejada told the Post that the resumption of flights was long-awaited and hoped that all airlines, Filipino travellers and employment agencies would follow the city authorities’ requirements.
“We have worked so hard for this and don’t want the opportunity to go to waste if the authorities suddenly decide to reinstate the place-specific flight ban due to passengers testing positive upon arrival in Hong Kong,” he said.
Thomas Chan Tung-fung, chairman of the Hong Kong Union of Employment Agencies, said more flights from Manila had been added in recent days, while quarantine hotels dedicated for foreign domestic workers became easier to book.
“About 5,000 to 6,000 domestic workers have been waiting to come to Hong Kong since January when the flight ban was implemented,” Chan said. “Assuming there is no flight suspension again, we hope to clear the backlog by June.”
A Filipino domestic worker, who gave her name as Ruth, was among the first batch of passengers to arrive in the city from Manila on Friday. She said the trip was smooth.
