Coronavirus: 200 extra quarantine rooms for Hong Kong domestic helpers booked in minutes, infuriating employers who missed out

Additional slots for government-run Penny’s Bay quarantine centre snapped up almost immediately, leaving thousands of helpers still waiting to enter Hong Kong

Infectious diseases expert says health code app for Hongkongers travelling to mainland China is necessary element for securing border reopening

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Hong Kong has experienced a shortage of domestic helpers since the imposition of now-lifted flight bans on the Philippines and Indonesia. Photo: Felix Wong

Published: 1:14pm, 4 Oct 2021Updated: 11:08pm, 4 Oct 2021

All 200 extra quarantine rooms made available for Hong Kong’s inbound domestic helpers were snapped up within minutes of bookings reopening on Monday, leaving many employers disappointed once again amid citywide shortages of the workers.

Employer agencies said the new slots at the official Penny’s Bay quarantine centre on Lantau Island were far from sufficient to cater for the large numbers of helpers from the Philippines and Indonesia waiting to enter the city.

But University of Hong Kong microbiologist Dr Ho Pak-leung said the current limit on incoming domestic helpers should be maintained, given the high rate of coronavirus infections among the arrivals.

Hong Kong on Monday confirmed four imported Covid-19 cases – two arriving from the Philippines, one from Indonesia and the other from Egypt.

Fully inoculated foreign domestic helpers with recognised Covid-19 vaccination records are now allowed into Hong Kong, but restrictions on quarantine capacity have curtailed their inward flow.

Cheung Kit-man, chairman of the Hong Kong Employment Agencies Association, said the additional Penny’s Bay rooms were all gone within five minutes of reservations opening at 9am.