By Vir B. Lumicao
 |
| Hundreds of FDHs line up to get tested amid the rain in Edinburgh Place, Central |
Hundreds of mostly Filipino and Indonesian domestic workers
lined up today, May 2, at mobile testing sites across Hong Kong for the second day of mandatory coronavirus testing that threatens to ruffle
ties between
As evening neared, migrant workers were still lined up under umbrellas as they waited during a drizzle to be tested at mobile testing sites in Central and Causeway Bay, and at community testing centers across the city.
 |
| PRESS FOR DETAILS |
All of the city’s 370,000 FDHs, except those fully vaccinated, have been ordered to go for tests between May 1 to 9.
Some workers joined a call for a silent protest against the mandatory testing imposed by the Hong Kong government, raising banners with slogans like “Non-discrimination, tolerate” and “Stop insulting foreign domestic workers and selective law enforcement”.
 |
| Pindutin para sa detalye |
The same sight was repeated at the Mei Foo Park in Lai Chi Kok and Tsuen Wan Sport Ground, as well as in Tai Po and Yuen Long, according to migrant workers who live in those areas.
 |
| The queue in Tsuen Wan Sport Ground remained long just before closing time |
At 8pm, the queue was still very long in Tsuen Wan, said Baby Jean de Leon, an administrator of the social media group Domestic Workers Corner, who lives close to the sports ground.
Apart from mandatory testing, the government has also said that all FDHs who will apply for new employment visas in Hong Kong will have to get vaccinated for coronavirus.
 |
| PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE |
The government issued the orders after a helper in Tung Chung tested positive for the South African variant of the coronavirus, which is now known to have come from an Indian returnee from Dubai who was earlier found infected days after ending his 21-day hotel quarantine.
Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr backstopped his consul general in Hong Kong today, May 2, calling the mandatory vaccination order discriminatory.
 |
| Call now! |
“Though the effect is good and saving, still marking them out smacks of discrimination and if it is a special favor, it is unfair to other nationalities. HK can do better than that,” Locsin said on Twitter.
His post followed Consul General Raly Tejada’s statement that the Hong Kong government’s decision was made without consulting the consulates of countries supplying helpers to the city.
 |
| CALL US! |
Tejada also asked why FDHs were singled out for the vaccination order when other non-residents in Hong Kong who are also on employment visas are not being told the same thing.
Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung said in his blog today the vaccination of helpers is still being studied but is vital for the city to recover from the pandemic.
 |
| Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong Dream Love. |
But he defended the mandatory testing order, saying it does not discriminate against a particular race or identity as it was also issued to other high-risk groups such as care home workers.
“Through testing, we can identify the source of the variant
infections as soon as possible and effectively break the transmission chain,”
he wrote.
 |
| The testing site at HKU was also swamped with FDHs trying to beat the govt deadline |
Cheung’s statement came as the city confirmed two imported Covid-19 cases, taking the overall tally to 11,784, with 210 related deaths. The new cases, both Indonesians, tested positive on the seventh day of their hotel quarantine. There was no local case.
A Centre for Health Protection spokesman said the first
patient, a woman aged 39, arrived on Cathay Pacific flight CX2780 from
The spokesman said fewer than five persons were found to be preliminary-positive today.
At 9am today, a total of 97 confirmed patients were being treated in 16 public hospitals and the North Lantau Hospital Hong Kong Infection Control Centre. Three patients are critical, one is serious and the 93 others are stable.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong will ban all Turkish Airlines passenger flights from
| ||
 | ||
