Filipino workers vaccinated in the Philippines will be allowed entry into Hong Kong (HK) effective next week upon presentation of their Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ)- issued vaccination certificates, Labor Sec. Silvestre Bello III announced on Sunday (Aug. 22).
Bello said the HK government has already agreed to let overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who received COVID vaccines in the country to come and work starting Aug. 30, provided they can present validated COVID vaccine certificates issued by the BOQ.
Some 3,000 OFWs who are awaiting deployment to HK will benefit from this development, Bello said.
OFWs will undergo quarantine in specified hotels, the cost to be shouldered by employers. The HK government is now in the process of coordinating with partner hotels where the OFWs will be quarantined.
Previously, only those vaccinated in HK were allowed entry into HK. OFWs were not granted access because they have different vaccination certificates issued by LGUs.
The BOQ, through coordinated efforts by the Department of Labor and Employment and the Philippine consulate in HK, prepared a draft vaccination certificate bearing the passport details of the OFWs as requested by the HK government.
Pending inclusion of that detail in the yellow card, HK immigration will honor the vaccination certificates issued by the BOQ for incoming OFWs to HK. ### (DOLE) – jlo
