Double whammy: Pinay from COVID-19 domestic worker cluster sent home

A Filipina domestic worker in her hotel room in Manila. (COURTESY: E.S.)

A Filipina who wanted to work in Hong Kong did not expect she’d be in a twofold setback before even starting life as a domestic helper.

E.S., 33, was scheduled to leave Manila on Sept. 9 via the early morning Hong Kong Airlines HX782 flight with 12 other recruits. She had prior plans to head to the financial hub since her would-be employer was due to give birth by May, but the coronavirus pandemic forced her trip’s postponement.

The 33-year-old worker had arrived in Manila from Bacolod via ship on Sept. 3. She had undergone a rapid coronavirus test as soon as she got off the ship, and she tested negative.

E.S. then stayed with the other workers in a boarding facility owned by their agency.

The group of workers went through another coronavirus test at the Philippine Lung Center on Sept. 7, since the Philippines was in the list of Hong Kong’s high-risk countries. All inbound travelers from these countries were required to present a negative COVID-19 test result 72 hours before they land in Hong Kong.

All of them tested negative by the evening of Sept. 8, E.S. said.

So when they landed in Hong Kong Airport the next day, E.S. could not believe why her COVID-19 test result turned out positive, along with the results of four other domestic workers she was with. They were the first five infected from the migrant worker cluster in the Sept. 9 flight.

But she said did not even have any symptoms of infection. “Wala po talaga akong nararamdaman. Ang nararamdaman ko talaga, pagod, sa kakahintay ng result doon sa airport.”

[Translation: I didn’t feel anything. What I felt is exhaustion, because I waited for the results at the airport.]

Hong Kong’s coronavirus thematic website said inbound travelers arriving from the Hong Kong International Airport will be tested upon arrival. It read travelers will need to stay at a restricted part of the airport to await test results “before they can proceed with immigration procedures.”

E.S. said upon receiving their positive test results, they did not pass through immigration checkpoints. Instead, they were raffled off to different hospitals.

Princess Margaret Hospital opened its doors it E.S. and doctors ran tests on her. Her antibody test turned out positive as early as Sept. 11, and documents she showed Hong Kong News said she was already fit for discharge on the same day.

But her attending doctor told her that her saliva samples still had high levels of the virus. This is why she stayed in the hospital for nine more days.

On Sept. 20, E.S. received a message that her employer had backed out from hiring her, and she had to go back to the Philippines. The 33-year-old was to be the second case of domestic workers being sent back home following recovery from COVID-19.

The seeming policy shift among new arrivals has caused concern among Filipino domestic workers who wish to apply to work in the city. Hong Kong’s Immigration Department had told Hong Kong News in a message that it was assessing each immigration case individually, but the Philippine Consulate has also contacted the department to clarify the recent actions against these workers.

Upon hearing this development, E.S. cried out of shock and thought of the reasons her would-be-employer would have done it.

“Hinintay nila ako nang matagal tapos bigla na lang silang ni-give-up nang ganoon-ganoon lang?” she said.

[Translation: They waited for me for too long and now they’ll give me up that easily?]

But at the same time, she said she understood why her employer would back out.

“Ang iniisip lang din naman siguro nila, ‘yung baby nila. Pero dapat ni-think nila na, galing na din naman ako ng ospital, kumbaga, assured na sila na okay na talaga ako,” she said.

[Translation: Maybe they were just thinking of their baby. But they also should have thought that I came from the hospital. Because of that, they should be assured that I’m okay.]

The following day, her attending doctor allowed her discharge, nine days after the date stipulated in the document stating she was fit for release.

She stayed over quarantine facilities for one more night, as her agent in Hong Kong said they are still waiting for the advice from Immigration. The agent messaged the details of her flight the next day.

Despite the mishap, E.S. still wants to go back to the city but is afraid she will have to go through the entire ordeal again.

Having spent over Php80,000 to process her working right in Hong Kong, she tried to stop her tears from thinking where she would source the money—a huge chunk of which was loaned.

For now, all E.S. is left with is an unstamped domestic worker visa, the wrong luggage following an airport mix-up, and thousands in debt—which she was hoping to pay for with her earnings in Hong Kong.

“Di ka mamamatay sa sinasabi nilang positive, positive, mamamatay ka talaga sa stress.”

[Translation: You won’t die from becoming positive; you will die from the stress.]