Domestic helpers are being sacked by their employers and left on the streets after testing positive for Covid-19 feel helpless and traumatised
Police officers disperse domestic workers gathering on their rest day, during the coronavirus disease outbreak in Hong Kong, China, in this February 20 2022 file photo. Picture: REUTERS/LAM YIK
Under Hong Kong law, migrant domestic workers must live with their employers, often residing in tiny rooms or sharing the bedrooms of the children they care for. Hong Kong’s Labour Department has warned employers it is an offence to sack those infected. People who break the law could face a fine of up to HK$100,000. The department did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
“All I was thinking about was where to get food and where to find a place to stay because it was very cold outside,” said the woman, who has been working in Hong Kong as a domestic helper since 2005. “At the moment, the supply is not keeping up with demand. And given that there are so many mandatory testing notices, so many people that are testing positive, we are unable to find isolation facilities for everybody,” said Manisha Wijesinghe, executive director of HELP for Domestic Workers.
Hong Kong’s public hospitals have been severely stretched, struggling to cope with an influx of Covid-19 patients including the elderly, many of whom have resisted vaccinations.
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