By The SUN
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| Only vaccinated travelers from countries in the WHO list will be let in, says report |
Hong Kong is reportedly set to announce a
lifting of the ban on vaccinated travelers from “extremely high-risk places”, but only if the
regulatory agency in their country is recognized by the World Health
Organization (WHO).
That means, according to the report in the
SCMP, those coming from the Philippines, where thousands of workers and
residents have been waiting to fly to Hong Kong since a ban on all passenger
flights was imposed on Apr 20, will still not be allowed in.
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Indonesia, which was included in the ban on passenger
flights on Jun 25 and is the second biggest source of foreign domestic workers
in Hong Kong, is also excluded.
The report was immediately met with dismay by
Filipino migrant workers who had been clamoring for months to be allowed in,
saying they had already spent a lot of money, time and effort while waiting for
the ban to be lifted.
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“Expire
na naman ang medical (certificate) namin. Hanap ulit ng pera,” said by
among those who first heard of the news. (Our medical certificate has expired
again. We will have to look for money for it again).
However, Consul General Raly Tejada said he
has not received official notice of the conditional lifting of the flight ban,
nor is he aware that the Philippines is not in the WHO list of countries
with recognized regulatory bodies.
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But, in a brief statement, he said the
Philippines was grateful to Hong Kong for the announcement.
“We are looking forward to meet with them so
we can work out a way to get our vaccine certificates recognized among others,
including the possibility (for those that are willing) in Hong Kong upon arrival
and/or while in quarantine,” he said.
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| Congen Tejada will seek ways to get Philippine vaccines recognized |
But after issuing his statement, Congen Tejada sent a link to the WHO page which provides the "List of Stringent Regulatory Agencies", said to have been started originally to serve as a guide to medicine procurement decisions.
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A total of 16 countries are listed as SRAs, and they include nearly all countries in Europe and North America. From the Asia-Pacific region, only Japan and Australia are included. The whole of China, including Hong Kong, is not on the list.
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According to the SCMP report which cited an
unnamed official source, Hong Kong will allow in residents and workers from
extremely high-risk places provided they hold a “recognized jabs record”
starting from next week.
Only vaccines received in Hong Kong and other
parts of China, as well as those in the list of WHO recognized list like the United
Kingdom, will reportedly be considered.
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Unvaccinated students from the UK will also be
allowed in “on compassionate grounds” to allow them to reunite with their
families in Hong Kong during the summer holiday, said the report.
At the same time, tavelers from all countries,
regardless of their current risk level, will be asked to present a negative
Covid-19 test result taken within 72 hours before departure.
At present, those coming from places designated
as medium to low risk are exempted from this requirement.
