HONG KONG (SE): The Caritas Asian Migrant Workers Social Service Project and missionaries serving migrants urged employers to treat foreign domestic workers as members of their families. The appeal was made after many reported cases of employers terminating or dismissing helpers in a panic after they tested positive for Covid-19; the Omicron variant has been rampant in Hong Kong.
Mary Ho Hei-yin, a welfare worker with Caritas Asian Migrant Workers Social Service Project of the Caritas Community Development Service, said that this is a time for more understanding between employers and workers. Cases have been reported in which foreign domestic helpers have had to care for the family members of an infected employer or an employer caring for an infected worker.
She knew a worker, who used to be a client of the project’s centre in Sai Wan Ho, who had to care of her employer’s family after the couple and her wards became infected. The worker, fully vaccinated and doing regular exercise, was fit enough to care for the whole family. Together with suitable precautionary measures, the family recovered and she remained uninfected.
In another case, an elderly woman took care of her foreign domestic worker after the latter became infected.
Katie Lo Hiu-yee, another welfare worker with the project, said she understood that an infected foreign domestic worker may feel guilty if they were the only one to tests positive in their employers’ family, but both employers and workers need to understand that it is a situation that no one wants to happen.
We are appealing to employers not to terminate their domestic helpers, not just for humanitarian reasons, but also because the dedicated service they render to their employers, especially those who have been treated already as part of their family
Father Jacobe
The project has been sending resources, such as rapid test kits, masks, hand sanitisers, down jackets and supermarket vouchers to non-government organisations to support their work for infected migrants, as well as disseminating information about the Omicron outbreak through social media.
“We are appealing to employers not to terminate their domestic helpers, not just for humanitarian reasons, but also because the dedicated service they render to their employers, especially those who have been treated already as part of their family,” said Father Rodolfo Jacobe, who has been working with fellow Oblate missionary, Father John Wotherspoon, in MercyHK.
The charity organisation has been accommodating foreign domestic workers who were terminated or asked to get out of their employers’ houses because they tested positive for Covid-19.
“We also realise the danger of employers’ families getting infected as they only have a small space for their residence. What the employers could do is to refer their infected domestic helpers to us so that we can facilitate their transfer to the government isolation facilities,” Father Jacobe said.
The priest said employers with infected workers do not need to be scared, as many of those received by MercyHK tested negative in less than a week and would be fit to work after they are confirmed recovered by government isolation facilities.
On March 12, the organisation took care of 17 cases waiting to be transferred to government isolation facilities. Forty workers were already in their shelters having been discharged from government facilities and were awaiting visas for new employment or a flight to return home.
Father Jacobe added that MercyHK welcomed the donation of antigen test kits, toiletries for the new arrivals, vitamin C tablets and snacks for workers about to be transferred to isolation facilities.
