HONG KONG (SE): The Hong Kong Catholic Commission of Labour Affairs said it is concerned that the measures promoting “vaccine bubbles” for food and drink businesses and entertainment venues will cause problems in employment relations and be a source of stress for employees who have not received the Covid-19 vaccine.
On April 27, the government of Hong Kong eased social-distancing restrictions for restaurants and entertainment businesses starting from April 29 under a number of requirements. The opening hours and the maximum number of people per table are directly related to whether employees have received Covid-19 jabs. Restaurants are allowed to open until midnight and serve tables of six, instead of only four until 10.00pm as under previous restrictions, provided that staff have received at least one dose of the vaccine and that customers use the government’s LeaveHomeSafe risk-exposure app. Staff who are medically unfit for vaccination have to provide medical proof and undergo testing every seven days instead of 14 days.
On the other hand, bars and party rooms can only reopen if both employees and customers have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
Law Pui-shan, a research officer of the commission, said that while the commission understands that the authorities needs to come up with strategies to accelerate the city’s Covid-19 vaccination takeup, the measures should not be linked to the employment of the staff in different businesses. She expressed concerns that present regulations have created pressure for older or physically weak employees in restaurants who are hesitant to get vaccinated and may be regarded as hindrances if the business wants more customers. She is afraid that those who refuse to get their jabs will even be dismissed using different excuses.
“When recruiting, employers under the present regulations may hire only those who have received vaccines, which creates discrimination,” she pointed out.
Furthermore, Law said frequent testing every 14 or seven days causes stress for employees. She heard that some employees may try to get specimen bottles at distribution points such as MTR stations or government clinics, but these are often in short supply due to the big need for testing at present. So they often need to find time outside of working hours to go to community testing centres, which may disrupt their normal schedules. She believes the measure shows the government did not thoroughly consider the details before implementing the policy.
The commission believes the government must increase the number of community testing centres or mobile testing stations to cater to the needs of employees.
