A residential social worker said in an online press conference by the Macau Social Workers’ Union (MSWU) yesterday that she received a message from the government about the implementation of its “Preventative Closed-loop Management Measures” at 6 p.m. on the day before the measures were due to come into effect, adding that the measures were carried out just six hours after she had been informed about them, describing the time allowing her to prepare for the measure as “too short”.
The union held an online press conference by Zoom at noon yesterday, in which two residential social workers described their working environments and the current situation during the period of the implementation of the closed-loop management measures in local facilities run by the Social Welfare Bureau (IAS).
The two female social workers did not reveal their names.
In response to the government’s COVID-19 prevention measure, since June 24 the Social Welfare Bureau (IAS) has carried out the closed-loop management measures in its 36 facilities, including nursing homes for senior citizens and rehabilitation nursing homes, as well as detoxification and rehabilitation homes, so as to prevent the risk of COVID-19 contagion in the facilities and protect the safety of the facility users.
Since the closed-loop management measures have been implemented, no-one in the facilities has been allowed to leave the premises.
One of the social workers said that some of her colleagues slept in the activity rooms or on the floor in empty rooms, areas which are the residents’ activity spaces so that the staff could not get much rest. She added that some of the facilities’ residents would walk around, while others would shout or moan because of their illness. Therefore, she said, the quality of staff service had deteriorated due to the lack of “adequate rest spaces”.
The social worker also said that many of her colleagues did not have enough time to familiarise themselves with the guidelines of the Social Welfare Bureau regarding the closed-loop operation before and during the implementation. She also said that under “great” pressure due to the lack of staff, many of them were not able to carry out the closed-loop work “carefully”, adding that some of her colleagues were worried about their children. She underlined that some colleagues were unable to take care of their newborn children due to the new measures.
Therefore, she said, she could hear her colleagues crying every day, adding that some of them even needed to take pills to help them sleep.
Less than 30 pct of staff at closed-loop facilities want out: IAS
Meanwhile, the Social Welfare Bureau said in a statement yesterday that less than 30 percent of staff at closed-loop social service facilities have requested to exit the loop.
The statement noted that about 1,800 staff are in closed-loop social service facilities, around 30 percent of them being local employees who have a home in Macau, while 70 percent are non-resident workers (NRWs). The statement added that among the local employees, some want a point-to-point closed-loop management arrangement, while others want to leave closed-loop areas by working in rotational shifts.
The bureau said in the statement that it will do its best to meet the residential social workers’ demands, adding that it has coordinated several facilities for point-to-point closed-loop management, in order to provide “more comfortable resting areas” for the staff while effectively preventing the spread of COVID-19.
The statement underlined that the bureau has communicated with the residential care homes’ persons in charge, with most quoting their staff as saying that it was “most important and necessary” to ensure the safety of the facilities so that they thought it was suitable for them to remain in the homes with closed-loop management. Therefore, the statement added, it will consider whether to implement the point-to-point closed loop arrangement in its facilities.
Moreover, the statement pointed out that the bureau is following up on providing subsidies to closed-looped staff, in order to ensure that they are properly compensated. The statement added that several point-to-point closed-loop facilities have completed the basic setup to serve as pre-loop preparation venues and support the rotation of staff at nursing homes.
‘Open-loop rest plan’ to be carried out in short period of time
Meanwhile, the bureau said in another statement yesterday that it will coordinate with the 36 subsidised facilities to implement employees’ “open-loop” rest plan within a short period of time, adding that the managements have decided or are considering to grant additional pay, allowances and compensation or holidays to “the closed-loop” staff.
The statement underlined that in accordance with COVID-19 prevention requirements, staff members required to exit the loop for rotation shifts need to be quarantined for seven days in the rotation quarantine facilities for closed-loop residential staff after leaving or before returning to the premises. The statement added that they need to have a nucleic acid test (NAT) each day during their quarantine in the facilities.
The statement noted that nearly 20 percent of the staff of the subsidised senior citizens’ nursing homes and rehabilitation homes are able to exit the loop for shift work.
This undated handout photo provided by the Social Welfare Bureau (IAS) yesterday shows the facilities ready for “closed-loop” residential social workers to be quarantined for their rotation shifts.
