Domestic Helpers Can Start Flying In From Monday

The government has announced that foreign domestic workers can start flying in from Indonesia and the Philippines once again from August 30, after new arrangements were hammered out with authorities in the two countries.

SAR officials have conceded, however, that the number of arrivals will be restricted, despite a reported shortage of helpers since flights were stopped due to the pandemic.

Domestic workers from the two countries will need to be fully vaccinated against Covid – and have the records to prove it – as well as a working visa. They will also have to pass a coronavirus test in the three days before they come to Hong Kong.

The bottleneck in the system will come with the specific quarantine hotel they must stay at, with only around 400 rooms available initially – at the Silka in Tsuen Wan.

Labour and Welfare Secretary Law Chi-kwong acknowledged that for some time, would-be arrivals will find that the hotel is fully booked.

"By August 30 we have just one hotel.... it will definitely be a first-come-first-served arrangement," he told reporters on Thursday.

"We're actually looking forward to engaging another hotel for this purpose, and [will] also explore other possibilities. But it depends on the progress and the risk we're facing and the whole situation."

Law stressed that officials have to balance the public's need for helpers, with trying to prevent Covid from reaching the community.

The compulsory 21-night stay at the quarantine hotel will cost HK$16,800 – more than 3.5 times the minimum monthly wage for a helper. Employers will pay the bill.