Coronavirus: domestic helpers vaccinated in the Philippines ‘could be able to travel to Hong Kong as soon as August 30’
- Manila’s top diplomat in the city says ‘fruitful’ talks on recognising Philippine inoculation records are nearing completion
- The arrangement is likely to involve the use of a special ‘yellow card’ issued by the Philippine government
In a text message, Tejada said: “[An] agreement is very close on having the yellow card being issued by the Philippine government’s Bureau of Quarantine as an acceptable document that would certify the holder’s Philippine Covid-19 vaccination record. We have been informed that August 30 is the target date.”
The special card, according to a sample seen by the Post, would contain the traveller’s coronavirus vaccination record, along with the person’s name, date of birth and identification document details.
Tejada said the information could be verified through an embedded QR code printed on the card.
Philippine labour secretary Silvestre Bello III also confirmed that the Hong Kong government would allow Filipino workers with vaccination certificates issued by the Bureau of Quarantine to start work in Hong Kong.
Bello added that about 3,000 workers awaiting deployment to Hong Kong were set to benefit from the development.
Hong Kong banned flights from the Philippines in April, and from Indonesia in June, citing a surge in coronavirus cases in both countries. The two countries provide most of the hundreds of thousands of foreign domestic workers for the city and the suspensions led to a labour shortage in the sector.
