Prisca Tang
Lo Chong Fai, a member of the Central District Community Service Consultative Council, urged the government yesterday to reconsider allowing foreign domestic helpers to enter Macau.
Lo made the remarks during a regular meeting of the government-appointed council held at the Activity Centre of the Patane Municipal Market.
According to Lo, as Macau’s COVID-19 pandemic situation stabilises, many working parents desperately need to hire a domestic helper. The statement said that even though it is possible to hire domestic helpers from the mainland, there are still many families who cannot afford their high wages. Moreover, he said, families who do not speak Putonghua would have a problem communicating with their domestic helper from the mainland.
Lo pointed out that the government should take reference from nearby regions and implement guidelines that could allow foreign domestic workers to enter Macau again. He suggested a few rules, such as that the domestic workers must have two COVID-19 vaccine shots prior to their arrival, have their work permit approved before entering Macau, have a valid nucleic acid test (NAT) result, agree to mandatory quarantine, and that the government set a limit on the number of foreign domestic helpers that can enter Macau every day.
Eco-friendly scooters
Meanwhile, a civic leader, António Rossano de Jesus Monteiro, urged the government to promote eco-friendly scooters. He said that the government should encourage residents to choose eco-friendly scooters over the conventional ones by subsidising residents’ fees for batteries and maintenance. He also said that if the government allows electric scooter riders to have discounted or free parking on certain days it would create a bigger incentive for residents to purchase an environmentally friendly scooter.
Moreover, civic leaders Lei Ka Chon and Chan Wai Pan raised problems about the lack of local sports facilities and suggested the government separate professional-use and recreational-use venues, as well as setting up temporary sports centres on idle land.
Civic leaders from the Central District Community Service Consultative Council attend their regular meeting at the Government Service Centre in Areia Preta yesterday.
