Secretary for Labour & Welfare Dr Law Chi-kwong today said encouraging the movement of foreign domestic helpers between Hong Kong and their homeland is inconsistent with the Government's current anti-epidemic measures.

Dr Law was responding to reporters' questions on calls for the Government to offer employers a subsidy to pay for their incoming helpers to quarantine in hotels.

“I can say that we really want to help. But any way of encouraging directly or indirectly the movement of domestic helpers from Hong Kong to their homeland or from their homeland back to Hong Kong is not consistent with our policy to restrict such movement to reduce the risk of the spread of the virus.

“Thus, our current policy is to try to minimise such movement, including allowing extension of contracts and extension of stay for those who have ended their contracts so that they can find a new employer here in Hong Kong, and also for those who are between contracts, they can stay in Hong Kong without the need or requirement to go back to their homeland. So these are the policy strategies that try to restrict the movement of domestic helpers from Hong Kong to and from their homeland. 

“Any other measures, although we would like to help, but if that would encourage such movement, that would be inconsistent with our anti-epidemic measures. So I have to plead to the employers and employment agencies that the existing policy is to facilitate the domestic helpers here, now in Hong Kong to continue to stay, either by way of extending contracts, extending their stay, finding new employers etc. That is our basic objective.”