Gov’t to extend domestic helpers entry scheme to Indonesia

The local pilot scheme that allows foreign nationals special entry into Macau to work as domestic helpers is going to be extended to Indonesian nationals from this Monday (May 23), Dr. Leong Iek Hou, coordinator at the local Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced yesterday during the weekly press briefing from the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Center.

“From Monday (May 23) we will extend the pilot scheme that allows the entry into Macau of foreigner domestic worker from the Philippines to also include workers from Indonesia,” Leong said, noting that the process will operate in the same way and with the same conditions as the Filipino workers.

Leong justified the extension of the program by citing the “need to fulfill the demand from society” to be able to choose domestic workers from countries other than the Philippines.

Evaluating the scheme as of the present moment, she said that the government had received a total of 20 applications to hire domestic workers from the Philippines, from which eight were approved and another eight were refused. Four cases are still undergoing a final review before the result is known.

Leong also added that the authorities are considering including people from Vietnam in the future.

When questioned on the topic by the media, the same official explained that, as a pilot scheme, authorities are having a very close look at the scheme to determine whether this type of phased method of allowing foreign workers to enter Macau poses any risk to the region in terms of pandemic prevention and control.

She also explained that, during the first and second phases of the scheme, not many applications were made. Upon inquiring within the community to understand their needs, they received many opinions in favor of the extension of the program to other countries of origin, namely Indonesia and Vietnam.

Asked to provide comments on the release made on Wednesday by the Philippine Consulate General in Macau listing a series of conditions for Filipinos to be able to come to Macau to work as caregivers, Leong excused herself from making any comments on the matter, saying that workers’ conditions and requirements are a matter for the Labour Affairs Bureau and not for the health authorities, whom, she said, “only take care of the matters related to public health.”

The conditions listed on Wednesday by the Philippine Consulate General in Macau as conditions allowing Filipino workers to travel to Macau as Overseas Foreign Workers included a monthly salary of the equivalent of almost 10,000 patacas, guarantees of insurance, and roundtrip airfares to be paid by the employers, as well as all necessary nucleic acid tests and quarantine expenses.

Spouses not included

When questioned once again on the possibility of the foreigner workers being allowed to travel with their spouses or family members, Leong reaffirmed once more that the schemes that allow the entry of foreigners in Macau, including domestic workers, teachers, and students, “do not include any spouses of other family members,” she said, adding, “The recipients of this policy are the workers, not their families. They are not targeted by these special arrangements as we are only allowing these people in as a matter of public interest.”

Claiming that the government has a priorities list and is making decisions accordingly, she justified that, under these special conditions, only those who are strictly needed are allowed to enter.

229 foreigners granted entry since border restrictions started

A total of 229 foreign nationals without a residency status in Macau have been allowed to enter the Special Administrative Region since the entry into force of the measure that bans the entry of all foreigners in Macau, Dr. Leong Iek Hou said to a media inquiry.

According to the data cited, of these 229 people, the large majority (201) were people who were either residents of the mainland or who have been staying on the mainland for a long period. The other 28 people were also foreign nationals who either live or work in the neighboring region of Hong Kong and have also remained in the region for a long period without any record of traveling to other pandemic risk areas.