By Leslie Ann Aquino
The Society of Hong Kong Recruiters Accredited to the Philippines (SHARP) on Wednesday said it will distribute travel kits to newly hired Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) bound for Hong Kong following the partial lifting by the government of the travel ban on OFWs to the special administrative regions of China.
According to the group, the travel kit contains a small bottle of disinfectant alcohol, a face mask, tissue, and soap.
A primer for protection against health risks and avoiding the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Hong Kong will also be included in the kit.
The group of licensed recruitment agencies deploying Household Service Workers (HSWs) to the Special Autonomous Region of Hong Kong also welcomed the government’s decision to lift the travel ban for new hires and returning workers to Hong Kong.
"Those 10,000 OFWs with new hires comprising around 3,000 and some 7,000 vacationing re-hires who have been waiting for their flights to Hong Kong are relieved and very happy that they will now be able to join their new employers and for those returning to their employers who have been patiently waiting for them to come back to resume their household chores," SHARP President Alfredo Palmiery said in a statement.
An additional requirement was imposed by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) requiring departing OFWs to sign a document stating that they understand the risks involved in their departure for Hong Kong.
"The POEA should come out with a standard document which contains the declaration so that it will be a uniform document for HK bound OFWs," Palmiery said.