Hong Kong care homes to adopt ‘closed-loop’ system to curb coronavirus outbreaks, operators warn of employee exodus
- City leader Carrie Lam says system will be implemented at care homes for elderly and people with disabilities
- But union chief warns many workers could quit their jobs after new arrangement launches, adding to already urgent personnel shortages
Hong Kong’s care homes will run under a “closed-loop” system that restricts staff movement to curb Covid-19 outbreaks, but operators and carers have warned of an employee exodus amid an already severe personnel shortage.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor announced on Wednesday that the arrangement would be implemented in facilities for the elderly and disabled, with staff given designated hotel accommodation and transport to their workplaces, isolating them from the wider community.
“Although there are not many care homes left without infections, our priority is to strengthen the protection of residents and staff of these homes through the closed-loop arrangement,” she said.
But the Social Welfare Department, when asked for further details, only said it “strongly requested” care homes to implement the measures, adding it was looking for proper hotels and transport, as well as contacting operators of care homes, with priority given to facilities without recorded infections.
The highly transmissible Omicron variant has torn through the elderly care homes since early last month, leaving about 19,600 residents infected and 1,405 dead as of Wednesday. About 5,310 staff have also been infected.