Domestic helpers on leave since outbreak confused over new NAT mandate
Several domestic workers are confused about the new mandate that requires those who do not live with their employers to take a nucleic acid test (NAT) every day.
On Friday, authorities announced that domestic workers are now part of the city’s key groups and accordingly require a daily NAT.
According to the mandate, those who do not live with their employers from July 11 are considered part of the key group.
This comes after the government encouraged employers to have their domestic helpers live with them amid the outbreak to reduce the spread of the virus. Not all employers have heeded the call.
However, several domestic helpers who are currently not working expressed their confusion to the Times over whether they are also part of the key group.
“I haven’t been working since the outbreak and I only leave the house when I need to undergo NAT and buy groceries. The government isn’t clear on the mandate, and it confuses a lot of us,” said one who asked for anonymity.
“I’ve been at home since June 19 and I only go out when necessary. I think for us who are not working, it’s pretty difficult to assess whether we are part of the key group,” said another.
The new mandate requires employers to check online whether their domestic helper underwent a NAT. Authorities have also called on employers to allow their workers to queue up at NAT stations during work time.
According to several comments on social media, some have found it discriminatory, while others accept the rule as part of what the government is doing to reduce Covid-19 cases.
Data from the government as of Friday shows that among the 1,675 positive cases detected in the community, 95 cases were related to those involved in domestic work, which accounts for 5.7% of the total.
Lourenco Lameiras, president of the Foreign Workers Association commented that the measure is not discriminatory but necessary because the government is imposing the measures to achieve zero cases.
Speaking to TDM, Lameiras noted that “domestic servants usually go to the market and live with several people in an apartment. I think the government initiative is trying to protect domestic workers. Everyone has a responsibility to follow the government’s instructions.”
Health authorities have appealed to all families employing domestic helpers to make arrangements to allow them to stay overnight at their employers’ homes or, alternatively, to find a place for them to stay in a separate room to avoid direct contact with other people in a domestic setting.
According to the coordinator at the local Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Leong Iek Hou, domestic workers who live outside their employer’s home usually live in places with “great numbers of people and that are lacking [amenities], which all contribute to the easy spread of the virus.”
