Over 12k OFWs set for deployment to Hong Kong, says consul general

More than 12,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) will be deployed to Hong Kong amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Philippine Consulate General said Wednesday.

In a televised briefing, Consul General Raly Tejada said a total of 12,662 OFWs are expected to arrive in Hong Kong this summer.

Of this number, 7,907 workers were new hires and 4,755 were terminated employees who found new jobs.

Hong Kong requires inbound travelers to undergo 14-day quarantine and COVID-19 screening as precautionary measures to help prevent the spread of the virus. 

“Medyo nagwo-worry din po ang Hong Kong government kung saan sila ilalagay sapagkat ang quarantine pong 14 days ay mandatory po rito,” Tejada said.

“Ang mga employer po at mga agency na nagpadala po rito ng employees ay siya po ang may number one na may responsibilidad po na maglagay sa kanila sa quarantine centers, maging hotel man o sa mga pasilidad na tumatanggap ng quarantine.”

Also, the consul general reported that they sent 200 stranded Filipinos back to the Philippines. Another 250 Filipinos are expected to return home in the coming days.

“Sana po naman mabigyan sila ng pagkakataon na makauwi sa ating bayan sapagkat patuloy po ang pagka-kansela ng flights mula Hong Kong patungong Manila. Ito po ay inaayos [sa] kasalukuyan ng ating Department of Foreign Affairs,” he said. —LBG, GMA News