Hong Kong’s domestic workers from the Philippines yearn for home on Christmas amid Covid-19 isolation

Name: Long queues for free meals as millions in the Philippines go hungry amid coronavirus pandemic
Uploaded: 2020-12-24T23:30:11.000Z
Duration: 3 min 13 s
Description: Long queues for free meals as millions in the Philippines go hungry amid coronavirus pandemic

Advocates have seen more workers requesting mental health support as the pandemic comes between Filipinos and their families over the holiday period

Many have to cope with sending remittances even as they face increased work stress, anxiety and loneliness in Hong Kong

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A policeman asks domestic workers to disperse as they gather in Central. Photo: Edmond So

Raquel Carvalho

Published: 7:30am, 25 Dec 2020Updated: 7:40am, 25 Dec 2020

Melody de Guzman, a 45-year-old domestic worker in Hong Kong, had to twice cancel her plans to go to the Philippines this year. She could not fly in April to see her son’s graduation. Now, she won’t be able to spend Christmas with her family.

“I am under more pressure,” said the migrant worker, who has lived in Hong Kong since 2013. “I have a big family and before my sisters could buy my mum’s medicines, but now they totally depend on me. It’s very hard to earn any money in the Philippines at the moment.”

De Guzman, a mother of three, said she did not have enough holidays to fly home and then quarantine there. She is also afraid of going home and not being able to return to Hong Kong, as thousands of domestic workers were stranded in the Philippines earlier this year due to Covid-19 restrictions and border closures.

But the burden of not seeing her family for almost two years is weighing on her shoulders. “It’s so sad,” De Guzman said, sighing.

Labour unions and advocates in Hong Kong are concerned about the long-term psychological effects of the coronavirus crisis on domestic workers, as thousands are unable to return from home for Christmas and the New Year.

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Long queues for free meals as millions in the Philippines go hungry amid coronavirus pandemic

“The past year has had a significant impact on the mental health and well-being of domestic workers,” said Manisha Wijesinghe, director of case management at the non-profit group HELP for Domestic Workers.