Smooth start for second round of helper testing

A second round of mandatory testing for Hong Kong’s foreign domestic helpers got under way on Sunday, with those undergoing Covid checks reporting none of the long queues and chaos seen at the start of the previous mass testing exercise.

Helpers taking their day off in Admiralty said they’d been able to book tests online and take them without a wait, and no queues were seen at centres in the area. All helpers must take a test by May 30, except for those who’ve taken both doses of the vaccine at least two weeks previously.

“The line is ok, so fast. The first time it was so crowded, but this time I think we all have bookings online and then it’s ok for us,” said one helper.

Another helper said she was not worried because she had just taken her second dose of a Covid vaccine.

“I took this vaccination because I want to have safety for myself, and especially for my work. Here it’s ok, it’s not too crowded.”

Two other helpers said they hadn’t been vaccinated yet because they had heard reports of people getting sick after inoculation. But they said they would consider a jab even if the government did not make it mandatory.

A previous mass-testing exercise earlier this month saw 340,000 helpers tested and three positive cases confirmed.

The government announced a repeat of the mass testing after it dropped plans to make vaccination a condition of visa renewals for domestic helpers.

Officials had urged helpers to book a test online and encouraged employers to give them time out during the week.

The call follows chaotic scenes on the first weekend of the month as thousands of helpers queued for hours to take a test on a public holiday and their regular Sunday day off.