Philippine workers allowed to travel to Hong Kong, Macau amid virus fear

MANILA, Feb 18 (Reuters) - The Philippines on Tuesday
allowed Filipino workers to travel to Hong Kong and Macau,
relaxing the travel ban it imposed on China and its special
administrative regions to control the spread of the coronavirus.
The Philippines announced its decision before Hong Kong
reported that a Filipina domestic helper became its 61st case of
coronavirus in the country. There are more than 180,000 Filipinos in Hong Kong, many
working as helpers, according to the Philippines Labour
Ministry.
The Philippines had imposed a travel ban on China and its
special administrative regions Hong Kong and Macau. It later
included Taiwan in the ban, but lifted it a few days after.
There was no immediate comment from Philippine officials on
how the latest development in Hong Kong will affect its decision
to relax its travel restriction.
The Philippines also said it would allow foreign spouses or
children of Filipinos and holders of diplomatic visas travelling
from China, Macau and Hong Kong to enter the country but they
will be subjected to a 14-day quarantine.
Initially, only Filipinos and holders of permanent resident
visas travelling from these areas were allowed entry.
Recruiters have appealed to the government to exempt
Filipino workers from the travel ban because many of them are
breadwinners. They could also lose their visas if they failed to
report for work on time, the Society of Hong Kong Accredited
Recruiters of the Philippines has said.
In 2019, Filipino workers in Hong Kong sent home $801 million
in foreign exchange remittances, central bank data showed.
Filipinos leaving for Hong Kong and Macau for study and
employment will be required to sign a declaration that they know
the risks of going there, health officials said.
The Philippine government also said it will repatriate
Filipino crew and passengers from the quarantined cruise ship
Diamond Princess who wish to come home.
The cruise ship, owned by Carnival Corp and carrying some
3,700 passengers and crew, has been quarantined in Yokohama
since Feb. 3, after a man who disembarked in Hong Kong before it
travelled to Japan was diagnosed with the virus.
The Philippine Foreign Ministry said 35 of the 538 Filipinos
onboard had tested positive for the coronavirus, including the
eight new cases, who are all crew members.
In the Philippines, there have been three confirmed cases of
coronavirus, including one death.