61 Filipinos positive for COVID-19 in HK all safe in isolation facility
A total of 61 Filipinos in Hong Kong tested positive for COVID-19 as the surge of cases continues due to the Omicron variant, but the Philippine Consulate said all are safe and being treated in an isolation facility.
During the Palace virtual briefing on Tuesday, Philippine Consul General to Hong Kong Raly Tejada assured that "all Filipinos needing emergency assistance due to the recent surge of COVID-19 cases in Hong Kong have been accounted for and assisted."
Filipino workers who tested positive for COVID-19 and lost their jobs were able to return to work, added Tejada.
"In the current fifth wave that Hong Kong is now experiencing, 61 Filipinos have tested positive with around 31 who approached the Consulate for assistance either for hospital admission or access to isolation rooms," he said.
"Through the immediate intervention of the consulate and in collaboration with the Hong Kong authorities, our NGO friends and the Filipino Community, I am pleased to report that all of them are safe and have received medical attention and are now staying in an isolation facility," he added.
Tejada said the Hong Kong government through the labor department also assured the consulate that "all Filipinos in Hong Kong most especially, of course, our hard-working foreign domestic helpers that are needing medical attention and isolation will be treated and taken to an isolation facility if necessary."
"The consulate also published a comprehensive yet easy to follow advisory to guide the Filipino community regarding the current health protocols in Hong Kong that everyone must follow if one tests positive for COVID-19," he said.
"The Philippine government through the consulate continues to work hard to assist all Filipinos in Hong Kong, thus we urge all Filipinos in Hong Kong to take utmost care, stay in a safe environment and follow all social distancing measures and the regulations by the Hong Kong government. Also, please get vaccinated," he added.
Tejada also reported that many Filipinos who were turned away by their employers after testing positive for COVID-19 have returned to their jobs.
"I’m glad to report that, you know, through the representations of the consulate, and advice, many of those who were initially turned away by their employers are now actually back with their employers or went back to their boarding houses," he said.
"In a way, we are proactively engaging the employers, to explain to them that terminating their employees at these difficult times especially when they’re sick is not only illegal, it is immoral. So many of them have been convinced to take back their employees and to make sure that proper care and assistance is given to them," he added.
Tejada said there were three to five Filipinos whose contracts were terminated by their employers after testing positive for Covid-19.
"This really constitutes a very small number of … they’re really a small minority, around three to five. But we’ve gone around and talked to them, investigated the… you know, circumstances surrounding their case," he said.
"Our primary mission is to get them treated first and then, they receive medical attention. And when they get well, we will revisit the situation and we will ask them what really happened. If we confirm that they were asked to leave because of their sickness, that is illegal, illegal dismissal under the employment ordinance of Hong Kong," he added.
On the other hand, Acting Presidential Spokesperson and Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles in his briefing said any Filipino anywhere in the world who wants to come home is always welcome.
"We do not have a ban against Filipinos who want to come home," he said. Robina Asido/DMS
