Coronavirus: Hong Kong labour minister defends Philippines flight ban in face of criticism; city confirms six new cases
- Secretary for Labour and Welfare Law Chi-kwong says concerns raised by domestic worker employment agencies over the ban’s impact on the city’s supply of helpers are overblown
- In a blog post, Law says ‘controlling the epidemic is the most important consideration now’, and policies towards domestic workers are no exception
The blog post from Secretary for Labour and Welfare Law Chi-kwong came as the city confirmed six new coronavirus cases on Sunday. Four of the new cases – patients aged 30 to 41 – were imported, with three from Indonesia and one from the Philippines, while the two local infections were detected in quarantine and were family members of a patient living in Tseung Kwan O.
The imported case from the Philippines involved a 39-year-old domestic helper who was confirmed with the N501Y variant. The woman was asymptomatic and her test sample was taken on the 12th day of her quarantine period at the Dorsett Mongkok hotel.
The city’s total infection tally stood at 11,736, with 209 related deaths. Fewer the 10 preliminary-positive cases were also recorded.
Starting on April 20, Hong Kong slapped 14-day bans on flights from the Philippines, India and Pakistan over worsening Covid-19 outbreaks in those countries, but medical experts have suggested that the time frame should be extended if the situation shows no signs of improvement.
The ban has prevented Filipino domestic workers from travelling to the city, with agencies previously estimating around 1,800 had seen their plans disrupted.