● 政府強制全港約37萬名外傭5月9日前強制檢測。 資料圖片【原文】本港有外傭確診感染變種新冠病毒，政府強制全港約37萬名外傭5月9日前強制檢測，並計劃規定外傭辦理續約或來港簽證時，必須接種新冠疫苗。政府措施是針對性地對外傭做排查，但防疫工作必須做得徹底，強檢應配合暫時的「禁聚令」，才能防止一邊檢測一邊交叉感染。同時有必要將強檢範圍擴大至外傭僱主，才能完全切斷社區隱形傳播鏈，確保本港控疫成果不會付諸東流。
該名外傭4月29日被發現初步確診後，政府當晚隨即圍封東涌映灣園悅濤軒第11座，約950名居民接受檢測，無發現確診個案，而全幢大廈400多戶約1,600人通宵撤離至檢疫中心隔離21日。5月1日又宣布連串對外傭的強檢和接種措施，行動迅速。
外傭一向是感染和傳播新冠病毒的高風險群組，因為一方面變種病毒潛伏期長，部分外傭帶病毒來港，隔離期有可能「走漏」；另一方面是外傭有周末聚集的習慣，容易將病毒廣泛傳播並帶給僱主家庭。今次被發現染有變種病毒的菲傭，就把病毒傳染給了其照顧的10個月大女嬰。因此政府連串針對外傭的措施是有的放矢。
過往做社區檢測的時候，專家就強調，強檢應該配合「禁足令」才能有效。本次實施外傭強檢也應該配合短期的「禁聚令」同時執行，也就是由現在至5月9日強檢期結束，其間應該禁止聚集。因為如果強檢期間照常聚集，有可能造成檢測呈陰性的外傭，轉過頭來又被其他未檢測的人感染，令強檢難以達到徹底排查的成果。其實這段期間也就兩個星期日，短暫「禁聚」的兩個假日可以將來補假，卻可以令整個強檢的效果大為提升。在這段期間，警方也必須加強執法，嚴禁外傭違反「禁聚令」。
與此同時，政府專家顧問許樹昌估計，菲傭感染的變種病毒可能源於早前確診的印度裔男子，但兩人沒有去過相同地方，估計社區已經有隱形傳播鏈存在。外傭和僱主生活在同一屋簷下，如同家人一般，隱形傳播鏈很大可能已經進入僱主家庭。因此，政府有必要盡快把強檢的範圍擴展至外傭僱主及其家庭成員，才能徹底地切斷隱形傳播鏈。
本港第四波疫情好不容易才達至尾聲，全社會都不能再承受第五波疫情的衝擊，今次變種病毒殺入社區，已令疫情防控到了十分危急的時刻，未來14天十分關鍵。特區政府必須雷厲風行，採取果斷措施，爭分奪秒地與病毒傳播競賽，將第五波疫情扼殺在萌芽狀態。 （ 摘錄自香港《文匯報》社評 2021-5-1）
Quarantine measures should tighten as alarm sounded over infected foreign domestic worker
【譯文】The government has ordered all foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong to undergo mandatory Covid-19 testing before 9 May, after one of them was found to be infected with mutated strains of the coronavirus. Initial plans were also revealed to have domestic helpers vaccinated first either before they can renew their contract, or before they can apply for work visas from overseas. However, these measures are targeted at screening for infected helpers only. To prevent further infection spread during this time period, social gathering bans must be put in place. At the same time, the scope for compulsory testing also needs to be extended to include the families that the domestic helpers work for, so as to break the chain of silent transmission in the community. That way, the anti-pandemic efforts of Hong Kong will not be in vain.
After the foreign domestic helper was preliminarily tested positive for Covid-19 on 29 April, the government immediately cordoned off Tower 11 of Carmel Cove at the Caribbean Coast housing estate in Tung Chung that night. About 950 residents were tested and no confirmed cases were found. Over 400 households, totalling about 1,600 people, were evacuated overnight to the quarantine centre to self-isolate for 21 days. A series of mandatory testing and vaccination measures for foreign domestic helpers were then announced on 1 May. The government's response was swift overall.
Foreign domestic helpers have always been a high-risk group for Covid-19. On the one hand, the current compulsory quarantine regime may not be enough to stop imported cases from foreign domestic helpers as the incubation period of the mutated strain is longer. On the other hand, their habit of group gathering on weekends could increase the risk of spreading the virus to the families they work for. For instance, the helper who was found to have the mutant variant has infected her employer's 10-month-old baby. Therefore, these measures involving foreign domestic helpers are properly targeted.
Previously when large-scale community testing is being conducted, experts have already emphasised that compulsory testing should be conducted in conjunction with lockdowns if it is to be effective. The mandatory Covid-19 testing for domestic helpers should also be implemented with a temporary ban on group gatherings. In other words, gatherings among domestic helpers should be forbidden until the deadline of the mandatory testing on 9 May. This is because if they can gather as usual during the period of compulsory testing, those who have been tested negative for Covid-19 could be infected by those who have not been tested yet, thus ruining the efforts of the screening. As the group gathering ban will just span across two Sundays during this period, the two rest days could easily be compensated in the future, but it would vastly improve the effectiveness of the entire mandatory testing. During this time, the police should also step up the enforcement of the gathering ban, so as to curb potential violations.
Meanwhile, government advisor David Hui Shu Cheong predicts that the mutant variant of the Filipino domestic helper may have originated from the Indian man who was confirmed to be infected earlier. They have not been to the same place, however, and therefore a silent transmission chain in the community might have been formed already. As foreign domestic helpers and employers live under the same roof just like family members, the silent transmission chain is likely to have entered the employer's family. Therefore, the government must extend the scope of mandatory testing to employers of foreign domestic helpers and their family members. It should be done as soon as possible to completely break the chain of silent transmission.
Hong Kong has endured great hardships to finally see the fourth wave of the pandemic coming to an end, and the society can no longer withstand a fifth wave of the pandemic. As the mutated strain has already entered the community, the next 14 days will be very critical to Hong Kong's anti-pandemic efforts. The government must be swift and resolute in the fight against the spreading of the virus, hopefully nipping the fifth wave of the pandemic in the bud.●Jeffrey Tse
Exercise
1. 疫苗護照
2. 源頭不明個案
3. 疫苗氣泡
4. 復必泰疫苗
5. 克爾來福（科興疫苗）
Answer
1. vaccine passport
2. untraceable case
3. vaccine bubble
4. Comirnaty
5. CoronaVac