The Labour Department (LD) today (September 24) reminded foreign domestic helpers (FDHs) and employers that the Government will adjust the inbound control arrangement for overseas inbound persons with effect from September 26 (Monday).

An LD spokesman said, "FDHs who are coming to work in Hong Kong from September 26 onwards will be subject to the revised inbound control arrangement under the '0+3' model, i.e. they need not undergo quarantine at hotels upon arrival and will only be subject to medical surveillance for three days, followed by self-monitoring for four days. They will be subject to multiple tests during the medical surveillance period and the subsequent four-day monitoring period. During the medical surveillance period, FDHs can work at the employers' residence and go out to conduct daily essential activities of lower risk, e.g. taking transport, entering supermarkets and markets, etc. They will, however, be subject to Amber Code restrictions under the Vaccine Pass, and are not allowed to enter high-risk premises involving mask-off or group activities, as well as other premises requiring key protection (Note)."

In view of the conditions of individual families, the Commissioner for Labour has given in-principle approval for employers to choose to arrange FDHs to stay at licensed hotels or guesthouses to complete the three-day medical surveillance and the subsequent four-day self-monitoring. It is not necessary to make an application to the LD. If employers arrange FDHs to undergo medical surveillance and self-monitoring in licensed hotels or guesthouses, they should bear the accommodation expenses and provide food allowance to FDHs for that period. The list of licensed hotels and guesthouses can be found here. If an FDH cannot work in his/her employer's residence as a result of the employer's arrangement to have the FDH undergo medical surveillance and self-monitoring at a place other than the employer's residence, the employer should pay the FDH a sum equivalent to the remuneration that the FDH would have earned if he/she had worked for that period.

Besides, starting from September 26, FDHs coming to work in Hong Kong only need to present a proof of negative result of a rapid antigen test (RAT) conducted within 24 hours prior to the scheduled time of departure. Any proof of negative result of a nucleic acid test before departure is not required. FDHs still need to complete the online Health & Quarantine Information Declaration of the Department of Health (www.chp.gov.hk/hdf) prior to boarding a flight to declare a record of completion of vaccination and result of pre-departure RAT.

Under the "0+3" model, Designated Quarantine Hotels (DQHs) will be cancelled. The day of arrival at Hong Kong with the first nucleic acid test conducted is considered as Day 0. During medical surveillance, FDHs need to conduct RATs daily and are required to undergo a nucleic acid test on Day 2. Upon receipt of a negative result of the nucleic acid test on Day 2, the FDHs' Vaccine Pass will be changed to Blue Code. FDHs are subject to self-monitoring during the subsequent four days upon completion of medical surveillance and should conduct daily RATs until Day 7. They are also required to take nucleic acid tests on Day 4 and Day 6.

As for FDHs arrived at Hong Kong before September 26 and are still undergoing quarantine at DQHs on the same day, they are allowed to leave on September 26 as arranged by the hotels. FDHs arrived at Hong Kong within three days (i.e. FDHs arrived at Hong Kong between September 24 and 26) will still be required to undergo medical surveillance and be subject to Amber Code restrictions. If FDH employers choose to let their FDHs continue to stay at the hotels to complete medical surveillance and self-monitoring, they may liaise with the hotels on their own. Employers are required to bear the accommodation expenses and provide food allowance to FDHs, as well as pay the FDHs a sum equivalent to the remuneration that the FDHs would have earned if they had worked for the periods of medical surveillance and self-monitoring at hotels.

For details of the above arrangement, please refer to the press release issued by the Government on September 24 (www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202209/24/P2022092400048.htm).

The dedicated FDH portal (www.fdh.labour.gov.hk) of the LD also provides information and useful links relating to inbound control arrangement for FDHs. Should there be enquiries on the inbound control arrangement for FDHs, please contact the LD through its 24-hour hotline at 2717 1771 (manned by 1823), by email to fdh-enquiry@labour.gov.hk or through the online form on the dedicated portal (www.fdh.labour.gov.hk).

Note:
Persons under the category of Amber Code cannot enter the following premises subject to "active checking" of the Vaccine Pass and other premises in the capacity of a customer or visitor:

Premises regulated under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Requirements and Directions) (Business and Premises) Regulation (Cap. 599F) which are subject to "active checking" of the Vaccine Pass:

• Premises required to use the QR Code Verification Scanner and is regulated under Cap. 599F, i.e. catering business premises (including bars or pubs), amusement game centres, bathhouses, fitness centres, places of amusement, indoor places of public entertainment, party rooms, beauty parlours and massage establishments, club houses, clubs or nightclubs, karaoke establishments, mahjong-tin kau premises, indoor sports premises, swimming pools, cruise ships, indoor event premises, barber shops or hair salons and religious premises.
• Premises required to inspect the Vaccine Pass visually as far as feasible, i.e. outdoor places of public entertainment, outdoor sports premises and outdoor event premises.

Other premises: residential care homes for the elderly, residential care homes for persons with disabilities, schools and designated healthcare premises.

The Government announced on September 23 the lifting of compulsory quarantine requirement for inbound persons from overseas places or Taiwan starting from September 26, after analysing scientific data and striking a balance among factors such as transmission risks. The arrangement for inbound persons from the Mainland or Macao will be rationalised at the same time. The Government's goal is to minimise the inconvenience faced by inbound travellers due to quarantine requirements and allow room for Hong Kong to connect with the world as far as possible, while being able to contain the epidemic development.

Starting September 26, the boarding requirements and quarantine arrangements for inbound persons from overseas places or Taiwan will be adjusted as follows:

• Presentation of a negative nucleic acid testing report prior to boarding will no longer be required. Instead, a declaration of the negative result of a self-arranged rapid antigen test (RAT) conducted within 24 hours prior to the scheduled time of departure should be made via the online Health & Quarantine Information Declaration of the Department of Health.
• Boarding requirement of having completed vaccination for Hong Kong residents will be lifted. Non-Hong Kong residents aged 12 or above will still be required to be fully vaccinated or have obtained a medical exemption certificate before they are allowed to board a flight for Hong Kong.
• "Test-and-go" arrangement will be implemented at the Hong Kong International Airport, i.e. inbound persons will not be required to wait for the test result at the airport after undergoing specimen collection for the nucleic acid test. They can take public transport or self-arranged transport to return to their home or their hotel of choice.
• Quarantine arrangement upon arrival at Hong Kong will be changed to "0+3", i.e. no compulsory quarantine will be required. There will be three days of medical surveillance during which inbound persons are free to go out but are obliged to comply with Amber Code restrictions under the Vaccine Pass, followed by a four-day self-monitoring period, making it a 7-day observation period in total.
• Nucleic acid tests at community testing centres, mobile testing stations or other recognised institutions on Day 2, Day 4 and Day 6 (the day of arrival is Day 0) will be required upon arrival at Hong Kong, supplemented by daily RATs from Day 1 to Day 7.
• For inbound persons who are tested positive by nucleic acid tests or RATs, their Vaccine Pass will be converted to a Red Code. Their isolation arrangements will be aligned with that for local cases.

A Government spokesman said that the COVID-19 epidemic situation rebounded since June due to the Omicron virus variant. The daily caseload spiked from low three-digits to four-digits, while the more transmissible sub-lineage BA.5 has replaced the earlier sub-lineage BA.2 since August, quickly turning the epidemic situations severe, leading to over 10 000 daily confirmed cases in early September. To cope with the epidemic situation, regular services of the public healthcare system was cut down substantially. Nonetheless, with the concerted efforts of the public and the Government in fighting the virus, the number of confirmed, hospitalised, and critical cases and death were much lower compared to that recorded during the period between February and April. At the same time, the vaccination rate for two doses among the overall population in Hong Kong has also significantly increased from less than 70 per cent in the beginning of this year to more than 90 per cent so far. At present, the epidemic situation has peaked and is showing signs of subsiding, with the real-time effective reproductive number for local cases dropping below 1, demonstrating that the enhanced immunity shield at community level is able to ward off the spread of the COVID-19 virus. A series of precise prevention and control measures and measures putting targeted groups as the focus of protection implemented by the Government has also effectively reduced infection, serious illness and fatality of high-risk groups. There was no need for Hong Kong to tighten social distancing measures to a large extent as per previous instances, avoiding any impact on the daily lives of the public and socio-economic activities. In response to the latest data and development trends of the epidemic, the Government considered that Hong Kong is equipped with the conditions to relax inbound control measures and to resume the international connection on the premise of striking a balance among risks and economic impetus.

The spokesman said that after the implementation of "3+4" quarantine arrangements for inbound persons from overseas places or Taiwan since August 12, the daily average number of imported cases in actual recorded a downward trend despite a 20 per cent increase in the number of relevant inbound travellers. The proportion of imported cases has dropped from 4.7 per cent to 3.3 per cent, and the 7-day moving average of imported cases to total caseload has decreased from 4.7 per cent on August 15 to 1.9 per cent on September 15. According to observations in the past few weeks, it has been an effective measure to curb potential transmission by restricting inbound persons from entering high-risk premises that involved mask-off or group activities during the medical surveillance through implementation of the Amber Code arrangement under Vaccine Pass. Overall, under the relevant inbound control measures and the Red and Amber Codes arrangements under the Vaccine Pass, imported cases have not posed any impact on the local epidemic situation nor incurred any additional pressure on the local public healthcare system. The data above indicated that inbound control measures together with Red and Amber Codes arrangements are effective in reducing imported case risks and achieving the goal of the proper management of infection risks.

Details of inbound control measures to be implemented starting from 6am on September 26 (Hong Kong Time) are as follows:

Arriving at Hong Kong from overseas places or Taiwan
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(1) Boarding requirements

With the COVID-19 testing services in overseas places being scaled back, inbound persons may have difficulties in obtaining the required testing report prior to boarding for Hong Kong. Therefore, the pre-departure test for inbound persons from overseas places and Taiwan will be changed to an RAT (can be self-administered or by professional swab sampling) conducted within 24 hours prior to the scheduled time of departure. The relevant inbound persons should then declare the test result via the Health & Quarantine Information Declaration.

In addition, as the Government has standardised requirements for issuing Provisional Vaccine Pass (see separate press release), the boarding requirement for Hong Kong residents to be fully vaccinated will then be lifted. However, in order to avoid putting pressure on the local healthcare system once visitors are identified as confirmed cases, non-Hong Kong residents aged 12 or above arriving from overseas places are still required to be fully vaccinated (Note 1) before they are allowed to board a flight for Hong Kong.

Inbound persons will still be required to complete the online Health & Quarantine Information Declaration of the Department of Health (www.chp.gov.hk/hdf/) in advance, including declaration of vaccination records and the results of pre-departure RAT. They are also required to present the green health declaration QR code generated upon completion of declaration (which can be a downloadable version of the QR code, a screen shot or a printout) at check-in for verification by airlines for boarding. The health declaration QR code will still be valid for 96 hours, i.e. inbound persons can submit the declaration form as early as three days before their scheduled arrival time in Hong Kong (for instance, a person arriving at Hong Kong on Monday may submit declaration form starting from Friday). They can then save the time by further updating the declaration after obtaining the negative result of a RAT.

(2) Arrangements upon arrival

Upon arrival at Hong Kong, the relevant persons will be required to register for undergoing a nucleic acid test by scanning the health declaration QR code. The system will issue medical surveillance notices, vaccination records and Provisional Vaccine Pass QR codes electronically. After having their specimen collected for nucleic acid testing, the relevant inbound persons may proceed with the normal arrival process. They can continue with immigration and customs clearance, claim their baggage and leave the airport by self-arranged transport, including taking public transport. In other words, inbound persons are no longer required to undergo an RAT to obtain a negative result before they can be released under the current "test-and-hold" arrangement. The relevant persons are subject to the Amber code restrictions.

(3) Amber Code restrictions during medical surveillance period and subsequent self-monitoring

Relevant inbound persons are not required to undergo compulsory quarantine, but will be under three days of medical surveillance, during which they are subject to Amber Code restrictions, and are not allowed to enter high-risk premises involving mask-off or group activities, as well as other premises requiring key protection (Note 2). They can conduct daily essential activities of lower risks, such as taking public transport, going to work, entering supermarkets and markets, etc.

For relevant inbound persons who are consecutively tested negative, medical surveillance and Amber Code restrictions on them will end at 9 am on Day 3 of arrival at Hong Kong. They will then be subject to a four-day self-monitoring period right afterwards.

(4) Testing arrangements

Inbound persons from overseas places or Taiwan are subject to multiple tests after arrival at Hong Kong:

• Day 0: nucleic acid test at the airport;
• Day 2, Day 4 and Day 6: after obtaining a negative result of RAT on respective days, inbound persons should undergo nucleic acid test at a community testing centre or a mobile specimen collection station, or arrange a self-paid test by professional swab sampling at a local medical testing institution recognised by the Government; and
• During medical surveillance and self-monitoring periods, inbound persons are subject to daily RAT until Day 7 of arrival at Hong Kong.

The handling arrangements for persons testing positive will be aligned with that for local cases, and their Vaccine Pass will be switched to Red Code. Relevant persons should provide information to the Centre for Health Protection through the online platforms (for nucleic acid tests or RATs). For further details, please refer to the webpage on Points to Note for Persons who Tested Positive.

(5) Transitional arrangement

For persons who arrived at Hong Kong before September 26 and are still undergoing quarantine at Designated Quarantine Hotels (DQHs) (i.e. persons who arrived at Hong Kong between September 23 and 25) on that day, they are allowed to leave as arranged by DQHs on September 26. Persons who arrived at Hong Kong within three days (i.e. persons who arrived at Hong Kong between September 24 and 26) will still be required to undergo medical surveillance and be subject to Amber Code restrictions.

Meanwhile, these persons will be required to undergo self-arranged nucleic acid tests and daily RATs in accordance with point (4).

Rationalising requirements for inbound persons from Mainland or Macao
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The Government will rationalise concurrently the requirements for inbound persons from the Mainland or Macao who have no travel history of overseas places or Taiwan in the seven days prior to arrival at Hong Kong. As such, the Return2hk Scheme and Come2hk Scheme will be extended to cover all places in the Mainland and Macao with no quota restriction. Advanced application and nucleic acid test before arrival at Hong Kong are also not required. In other words, inbound persons from the Mainland or Macao will not be required to undergo home quarantine after arriving at Hong Kong. However, they will still need to undergo nucleic acid test on Day 2 and be subject to self-monitoring in the three days after arrival at Hong Kong. For persons who arrived at Hong Kong earlier and are undergoing home quarantine, they will no longer be required to undergo home quarantine from September 26 onwards and can then remove their electronic wristbands.

Furthermore, persons travelling from Hong Kong to the Mainland or Macao are still subject to the special testing arrangement to undergo an additional free rapid nucleic acid test prior to their departure via land boundary control points or the airport. Only those who received a negative result can continue with their journeys. To prevent the exportation of cases and to support the nation's anti-epidemic efforts, persons subject to Amber Code restrictions will not be allowed to undergo the relevant special nucleic acid test at land boundary control points or the airport, meaning that inbound person from overseas places or Taiwan are not allowed to transit to the Mainland or Macao within the three days upon arrival at Hong Kong.

The spokesman said, "With the efforts spent over the past months and thanks to the co-operation by members of the public, we are able to contain the epidemic effectively and at the same time maintain the operation of the public healthcare system. We did not need to resort to tightening social distancing measures and were able to create room for adjustment to inbound control measures. The Government will continue to tackle the epidemic development under the principles of science-based and targeted anti-epidemic measures, as well as the proper management of risks and citizen-focused facilitation. The Government will also adjust anti-epidemic measures as appropriate based on analyses of scientific data in order to avoid backtracking. It is our aim to facilitate activities and people flow essential to socio-economic recovery, so as to safeguard the wellbeing of citizens while reducing the disruption to normal social activities, with a view to achieving the greatest effect with the lowest cost."

The Government will gazette the relevant updated specifications under the Compulsory Quarantine of Certain Persons Arriving at Hong Kong Regulation (Cap. 599C), the Compulsory Quarantine of Persons Arriving at Hong Kong from Foreign Places Regulation (Cap. 599E), the Prevention and Control of Disease (Regulation of Cross-boundary Conveyances and Travellers) Regulation (Cap. 599H), and the Prevention and Control of Disease (Compulsory Testing for Certain Persons) Regulation (Cap. 599J) to effect the above measures.

Note 1:
For the purpose of inbound boarding requirements, fully vaccinated generally involves receiving two doses of the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine (CoronaVac vaccine) or the Fosun Pharma/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine (Comirnaty vaccine) at least 14 days before coming to Hong Kong. Persons previously infected with COVID-19 who have received one dose of COVID-19 vaccine can be considered fully vaccinated. As for persons aged between 12 and 17 on the scheduled day of departure for Hong Kong, they may be deemed to have completed the COVID-19 vaccination course on receiving one dose of the Comirnaty vaccine.

For individuals who received COVID-19 vaccines in places outside of Hong Kong and have received the required dose(s) as stipulated in the List of COVID-19 Vaccines Recognised for Specified Purposes (listed vaccines) at least 14 days prior to arrival at Hong Kong; or for those who received a combination of doses of listed vaccines, receiving a combined number of doses of the listed vaccines equivalent to the recommended number of dose(s) of one of the listed vaccines received, whichever higher the number is applicable (except in the case that the recommended dosage of one of the listed vaccines received is "1"), they will also be regarded to have completed the vaccination course of the relevant COVID-19 vaccine.

For the purpose of boarding requirements, relevant persons who are fully vaccinated, as well as children under 12-year-old accompanied by them, can board for Hong Kong. In addition, persons who (i) are unfit for vaccination due to health reasons with relevant proof from a medical practitioner; or (ii) have received one dose of recognised COVID-19 vaccine, if they were certified by a medical practitioner that they were unfit to receive the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine because of health reasons after receiving the first dose of vaccine are also allowed to board flights for Hong Kong. The relevant medical certificate must indicate the relevant health reasons in English or Chinese.

Note 2:
Premises regulated under Cap. 599F which are subject to "active checking" of the Vaccine Pass:

• Premises required to use the QR Code Verification Scanner and is regulated under Cap. 599F, i.e. catering business premises (including bars or pubs), amusement game centres, bathhouses, fitness centres, places of amusement, indoor places of public entertainment, party rooms, beauty parlours and massage establishments, club houses, clubs or nightclubs, karaoke establishments, mahjong-tin kau premises, indoor sports premises, swimming pools, cruise ships, indoor event premises, barber shops or hair salons and religious premises.
• Premises required to inspect the Vaccine Pass visually as far as feasible, i.e. outdoor places of public entertainment, outdoor sports premises and outdoor event premises.

Other premises: residential care homes for the elderly, residential care homes for persons with disabilities, schools and designated healthcare premises.

A person holding an Amber Code who works or study at those premises, or receives services at the designated healthcare premises, are not subject to the restriction under the Vaccine Pass. However, their entry will subject to any additional rules or requirements imposed by the employers or persons-in-charge of individual premises in accordance with their own needs.

सरकार ने आज ( 21 सितंबर) घोषणा की कि विदेशी घरेलू सहायकों (FDHs) और उनके नियोक्ताओं को COVID-19 महामारी से निपटने में सहायता करने के उपायों को बढ़ाया जाएगा।

मौजूदा अनुबंधों की वैधता अवधि का विस्तार

सरकार अपने निवर्तमान FDHs के साथ मौजूदा अनुबंधों की वैधता अवधि बढ़ाने के लिए नियोक्ताओं को सक्षम करना जारी रखेगी। 31 दिसंबर, 2022 को या उससे पहले समाप्त होने वाले सभी FDH अनुबंधों के लिए, श्रम आयुक्त ने मानक रोजगार अनुबंध के खंड 2 में उल्लिखित रोजगार अवधि को अधिकतम छह महीने की अवधि के लिए, आधार पर, बढ़ाने के लिए सैद्धांतिक सहमति दी है। कि इस तरह के बदलाव पर नियोक्ता और संबंधित FDH दोनों द्वारा पारस्परिक रूप से सहमति व्यक्त की गई है। तथापि, पूर्व घोषित लचीलेपन व्यवस्था के अंतर्गत पहले ही बढ़ाए जा चुके संविदाओं के और विस्तार के आवेदनों पर विचार नहीं किया जाएगा।

यदि उपरोक्त छह महीने की विस्तारित अवधि के भीतर एक नए किराए पर लिए गए FDH के लिए हांगकांग आने की व्यवस्था नहीं की जा सकती है, और नियोक्ता को अपने FDH को छह महीने की विस्तारित अवधि के बाद भी नियोजित करना जारी रखने की आवश्यकता है, तो नियोक्ता को विचार करना चाहिए मौजूदा FDH के साथ अनुबंध के नवीनीकरण के लिए आवेदन करना।

मूल स्थान पर वापसी का आस्थगन

सामान्य परिस्थितियों में, एक ही नियोक्ता के साथ एक नए अनुबंध पर एक FDH , या मौजूदा अनुबंध की समाप्ति पर एक नए नियोक्ता के साथ एक नया अनुबंध शुरू करने के कारण, उसकी वापसी को स्थगित करने के लिए आप्रवासन विभाग (Immd) को आवेदन कर सकता है। अपने वर्तमान नियोक्ता या नए नियोक्ता के समझौते के अधीन, मौजूदा अनुबंध समाप्त होने के बाद एक वर्ष से अधिक नहीं के लिए मूल स्थान।

COVID-19 महामारी के टैग को देखते हुए सरकार मौजूदा लचीलेपन की व्यवस्था को और बढ़ाएगी। यदि कोई FDH उपरोक्त एक वर्ष की अवधि के भीतर अपने मूल स्थान पर लौटने में असमर्थ है, तो वह नियोक्ता के साथ समझौते पर आवेदन कर सकता है ImmD अपने अनुबंध के अंत तक रहने की सीमा के एक और विस्तार के लिए जैसे कि वह उस अवधि के भीतर मूल स्थान पर लौट सकता है। ऐसे आवेदन FDH के ठहरने की मौजूदा सीमा की समाप्ति से पहले आठ सप्ताह के भीतर स्वीकार्य हैं (अर्थात अनुबंध नवीनीकरण के लिए समान)।

सरकार नियोक्ताओं और FDHs को याद दिलाती है कि उपरोक्त लचीलेपन की व्यवस्था उनके बीच परस्पर सहमत होनी चाहिए, और यह कि FDH के अपने मूल स्थान पर लौटने की आवश्यकता लागू रहती है। नियोक्ता को अपने FDHs को ठहरने की विस्तारित सीमा के भीतर अपने मूल स्थान पर लौटने की व्यवस्था करनी चाहिए।

सरकार स्थिति की बारीक से निगरानी करना जारी रखेगी और आवश्यकता पड़ने पर उपरोक्त उपायों और लचीलेपन की व्यवस्था की समीक्षा करेगी।

बीमारी की रोकथाम के उपायों के साथ जुड़ने और लोगों के प्रवाह को कम करने के लिए, सरकार FDHs के लिए वीजा आवेदन जमा करने और ImmD मोबाइल एप्लिकेशन सहित ऑनलाइन माध्यमों के माध्यम से FDHs के आगे रोजगार के लिए जनता से अपील करती है। 　वीजा आवेदन के लिए इलेक्ट्रॉनिक सेवाओं और ImmD द्वारा कार्यान्वित एक "ई-वीजा" व्यवस्था के माध्यम से, जनता के सदस्य आवेदन जमा करने, भुगतान और "ई-वीजा" संग्रह सहित वीजा आवेदन की पूरी प्रक्रिया को पूरा कर सकते हैं। वे आवेदन की स्थिति के बारे में भी पूछताछ कर सकते हैं और www.immd.gov.hk/fdh पर ImmD द्वारा स्थापित एक समर्पित "विदेशी घरेलू सहायकों के लिए ऑनलाइन सेवाएं" वेबपेज के माध्यम से एक रोजगार अनुबंध की समय पूर्व समाप्ति की अधिसूचना और पूरक दस्तावेज जमा कर सकते हैं । पूरी प्रक्रिया के लिए उन्हें औपचारिकताओं से गुजरने के लिए व्यक्तिगत रूप से ImmD के एक कार्यालय का दौरा करने की आवश्यकता नहीं होती है, जो सुविधाजनक और समय बचाने वाला दोनों है, जबकि यात्रा करने की आवश्यकता को कम करता है और एक साथ वायरस से लड़ने के प्रयासों में योगदान देता है।

सरकार नियोक्ताओं और उनके FDHs से भी आग्रह करती है कि वे FDHs के ठहरने की सीमा और पासपोर्ट की वैधता के प्रति सचेत रहें और वीजा के लिए आवेदन और पासपोर्ट को पहले से बदलने की व्यवस्था करें।

FDH के रोजगार अधिकारों और लाभों के बारे में पूछताछ के लिए, कृपया 2157 9537 ( 1823 द्वारा संचालित) पर समर्पित FDH हॉटलाइन पर श्रम विभाग (LD) से संपर्क करें या fdh-enquiry@labour.gov.hk पर ईमेल करें । LD द्वारा स्थापित समर्पित FDH पोर्टल (www.fdh.labour.gov.hk) भी FDHs के रोजगार से संबंधित जानकारी और उपयोगी लिंक प्रदान करता है। FDH वीजा आवेदनों पर पूछताछ के लिए, कृपया पूछताछ हॉटलाइन पर 2824 6111 पर कॉल करके या enquiry@immd.gov.hkपर ईमेल भेजकर ImmD से संपर्क करें।

श्रम विभाग (LD) ने आज (24 फरवरी) नियोक्ताओं को याद दिलाया कि उन्हें विदेशी घरेलू सहायकों (FDHs) को नहीं हटाना चाहिए, जिन्हें COVID-19 है और उन्हें रोजगार अध्यादेश (EO) और मानक रोजगार अनुबंध (SEC) के तहत महामारी के चलते आवश्यकताओं का पालन करना जारी रखना चाहिए।

LD के एक प्रवक्ता ने कहा, "FDH को नियोजित करने वाले नियोक्ता को EO और SEC के तहत अपने दायित्वों और आवश्यकताओं का पालन करना चाहिए। हम नियोक्ताओं को याद दिलाना चाहेंगे कि उन्हें रोजगार अनुबंध समाप्त नहीं करना चाहिए क्योंकि FDH ने COVID-19 को अनुबंधित किया है। EO के तहत, एक नियोक्ता को कर्मचारी के गंभीर कदाचार के कारण संक्षिप्त बर्खास्तगी के मामलों को छोड़कर, उसके भुगतान किए गए बीमारी के दिन उसके रोजगार के अनुबंध को समाप्त करने से प्रतिबंधित किया जाता है। एक नियोक्ता जो EO के प्रासंगिक प्रावधानों का उल्लंघन करता है, एक अपराध करता है और अभियोजन के लिए उत्तरदायी होता है और, दोष सिद्ध होने पर, अधिकतम 100,000 डॉलर का जुर्माना लगाया जाता है। इसके अलावा, यदि किसी नियोक्ता ने EO का उल्लंघन किया है, तो उसे कुछ समय के लिए FDH को नियोजित करने के लिए योग्य नहीं माना जाएगा और FDH के लिए उसके वीजा आवेदनों को अस्वीकार कर दिया जाएगा। नियोक्ता को विकलांगता भेदभाव अध्यादेश (DDO) के संभावित उल्लंघन के बारे में भी याद दिलाया जाता है यदि वे अपने FDH को कम अनुकूल मानते हैं (उदाहरण के लिए उन्हें बर्खास्त करके) क्योंकि FDH को COVID -19 से संक्रमित या पुनर्प्राप्त किया गया है।

जहां EO लागू होता है, वहां नियोक्ता को FDH के बीमार पड़ने पर EO के अनुसार योग्य FDH को बीमारी की छुट्टी और बीमारी भत्ता देना चाहिए। जहां एक बीमार FDH ने अपनी बीमारी की छुट्टी की अवधि को कवर करने के लिए पर्याप्त भुगतान किए गए बीमारी के दिनों को जमा नहीं किया है, सरकार नियोक्ता से दयालु होने की अपील करती है और FDH भुगतान बीमार छुट्टी देने पर विचार करती है। इसके अलावा, SEC में आवश्यकताओं के अनुसार, नियोक्ताओं को अपने FDH को मुफ्त और उपयुक्त आवास के साथ-साथ मुफ्त चिकित्सा उपचार प्रदान करना चाहिए।

प्रवक्ता ने आगे कहा, "FDH हांगकांग के परिवारों को घर के काम करने और बुजुर्गों और बच्चों की देखभाल करने में सहायता करते हैं। हांगकांग में उनका योगदान महत्वपूर्ण है। वर्तमान में, महामारी के कारण FDH की संख्या जनवरी 2020 में लगभग 400000 के शिखर से घटकर लगभग 340000 हो गई है। महामारी का सामना करने के लिए आपसी समर्थन और समझ सभी अधिक आवश्यक है। स्थानीय परिवारों की जरूरतों को पूरा करने के लिए, हमें FDH के काम करने के लिए एक आकर्षक स्थान के रूप में हांगकांग को बनाए रखने के लिए FDH के लिए समर्थन और सुरक्षा को मजबूत करना चाहिए। सरकार नियोक्ताओं और FDH से एक साथ वायरस से लड़ने की अपील करती है। नियोक्ताओं को मनमाने ढंग से संक्रमित FDH को खारिज नहीं करना चाहिए। COVID-19 के अनुबंध के कारण नियोक्ता द्वारा खारिज किया गया कोई भी FDH सहायता के लिए LD से संपर्क कर सकता है।"

FDH और नियोक्ता 21579537 (1823 द्वारा संचालित) पर FDH हॉटलाइन पर कॉल कर सकते हैं, fdh-enquiry@labour.gov.hk पर एक ईमेल भेज सकते हैं या समर्पित पोर्टल (www.fdh.labour.gov.hk) पर ऑनलाइन फॉर्म के माध्यम से LD से संपर्क कर सकते हैं। COVID-19 और DDO से संबंधित जानकारी के लिए, नियोक्ता समान अवसर आयोग की वेबसाइट पर जा सकते हैं (www.eoc.org.hk/en/news-and-events/covid-19-and-discrimination)।