Time for action over Hong Kong helpers’ jab papers
- Concern over the vaccination records of those from the Philippines and Indonesia is real enough, but hopeful middle-class employers are hurting
The coronavirus has highlighted vulnerable sectors of society. One that has come to light as restrictions take their toll is the less affluent middle class, for whom the employment of a domestic helper is a matter of necessity, not choice.
Typical among them are a working couple who need to employ a helper to care for children or elders, and often budget to the last dollar. Bans on flights from the Philippines and Indonesia, the main sources of helpers, reduced supply, increased demand and often forced up monthly wages from the minimum of HK$4,630 (US$594) to as much as HK$8,000 (US$1,027) or more.
The bans may have just been lifted, but the thorny issue of agreement on foreign vaccination records that satisfy Hong Kong authorities remains. Thankfully, a government source says officials hope talks will resolve remaining issues, including the language used on certificates and who authorised them, before the end of the month.
A Philippine official said certificates from his country were not accepted because they did not share a single source.
Reluctance to recognise the vaccination credentials of other countries is part of a wider problem and not confined to Hong Kong. Apart from the inconvenience and even hardship they may cause to individual travellers, disputes can waste resources through the need for multiple vaccinations, which in itself raises possible health risks.
The concerns of local officials with vaccination records from the Philippines and Indonesia are real. Both countries are struggling to bring the pandemic under control.
The certification process is prone to corruption, and reliable verification of data is paramount. Hong Kong cannot leap in with its eyes closed.
Governments have to make every effort to assure themselves that vaccines are safe and to allow people who have had them to come in.
Hong Kong’s new travel rules a ‘relief’ to stranded domestic workers
We trust that expectations of an early resolution to the certification issue are not over optimistic. The shortage of domestic helpers is severe and those middle-class strugglers are generally in no position to enter a bidding war with better-off potential employers.
Their plight is urgent. More broadly, the authorities should be mindful that cheap domestic help is a factor in attracting talent and keeping it here, amid high property and education costs.
