New Hotel Quarantine Rules Announced for Incoming Foreign Domestic Helpers

As issued in a government press release, the Labour Department has announced that foreign domestic helpers arriving in Hong Kong from Aug. 12 onwards will still be required to undergo compulsory quarantine, but for a reduced period of three days. The incoming employees will continue to be monitored at home for four days thereafter, completing a ‘3+4’ style quarantine procedure.

The Commissioner for Labour has also expanded designated quarantine accommodations, adding a list of licensed hostels and guesthouses that employers can make arrangements with.

On their day of arrival, the workers will be subject to a rapid antigen test (RAT), then a nucleic acid test on the next day. Those who test negative for three consecutive days will be able to head to their employer’s residence but will still need to undergo RATs daily, as well as nucleic acid tests on the fourth, six, and ninth respective days after their entry to Hong Kong.

During the four-day period of medical surveillance, employees will be marked with an amber code on their LeaveHomeSafe app, allowing them to enter supermarkets and markets, be on public transportation, and go out of their residence so long as they provide a negative RAT obtained on the day of.

Similar to other visitors who have been able to leave hotel quarantine early, domestic workers who have completed their three-day stay and have tested negative on nucleic acid tests before Aug. 12 will also be allowed to leave.

For questions specific to the quarantining procedure for foreign domestic helpers, the Labour Department can be reached at (+852) 2717 1771, or contacted via email.