An estimated 4,000 Filipinos scheduled to go to Hong Kong to work stranded in the country due to the issue of the COVID-19 vaccination card, a group said Sunday.
According to Hong Kong City and Macau Chairman Eman Villanueva, between 3,500 to 4,000 Filipinos who worked in Hong Kong are stranded in Manila and continue to be mired in debt.
This is in the midst of ongoing talks between the Philippine and Hong Kong governments regarding the vaccination card of Filipinos.
Villanueva explained that the Philippines is one of Hong Kong’s “high-risk countries” for COVID-19, so only fully vaccinated Filipinos can enter the territory.
If vaccinated in the Philippines, the Filipino must present a vaccination record recognized by the World Health Organization.
According to Villanueva, many of those stranded still in Hong Kong did not return to the province because they hoped to leave immediately.
Some Filipinos are afraid of losing their jobs because their employers can no longer wait for them in Hong Kong.
He also said that many Filipinos in Hong Kong cannot return to the country due to quarantine restrictions, and the accumulated money is also running out.
Villanueva appealed to the government to help the stranded Filipinos.
Up to 4,000 Hong Kong-bound Filipinos still can’t leave: group
Meanwhile, those traveling out of the country were first notified to obtain a “yellow card” from the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ) as proof that they have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
While the government is still adjusting the digital vaccine card that travelers can use inside and outside the country.
This is in the face of the government’s adjustment of the digital COVID-19 vaccine card that can be used by travelers leaving the country.
The “yellow card” or International Certificate of Vaccination has been used by seafarers since the 1930s as proof that they have a vaccine against polio or meningococcemia.
It is recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO), so it is accepted in more than 190 countries.
The BOQ clarified that the passenger must first determine if the COVID-19 vaccine is required before going to the destination country.
Only fully-vaccinated people can also apply.
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