The Workforce Development Agency (WDA) under the Ministry of Labor has unveiled a specific set of regulations covering migrant workers who arrive in Taiwan after the new “0+7” COVID-19 policy is launched in mid-October.
Inbound migrant workers, including family caregivers, domestic helpers, institutional caregivers, and industrial workers, will not have to go into mandatory quarantine starting Oct. 13, WDA head Tsai Meng-liang (蔡孟良) said at a Central Epidemic Command Center press conference on Friday.
In line with the new nationwide policy to be implemented for all arriving passengers, they will only need to observe seven days of “self-initiated epidemic prevention,” Tsai said.
Vaccination requirements
However, employers or labor brokers of arriving migrant workers must register proof that the worker is fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and where they will stay during the epidemic prevention period seven days before the worker’s arrival through the Labor Ministry’s “Entry and Departure of the Foreign Labor Airport Care Service” website, he said.
The quarantine hotel, dormitory, or employer residence where the migrant worker will be staying must meet the principle of one person per room with a private bathroom, according to the WDA official.
If the migrant worker is staying in a quarantine hotel or dormitory, this information can be registered on the website three days prior to the worker’s arrival, Tsai added.
Arrival in Taiwan
After entering Taiwan, the employer or labor broker must arrange for the transportation of the migrant worker to the individual’s self-health monitoring accommodation.
During this period, the rapid COVID-19 test requirements are the same as those for regular inbound passengers.
The first test should be taken on the day of arrival, with the three following tests to be done on the third, fifth and last day of the self-initiated epidemic prevention period, or when they have symptoms.
Employers or labor brokers should also upload the results to the MOL’s labor care website.
Meanwhile, manual laborers employed in the manufacturing, construction, agriculture and fisheries sectors can go out to work if they show no symptoms and provide a negative rapid test taken within the previous two days, Tsai said.
Exceptions
The same is true for domestic helpers and caregivers, he said, but noted that those looking after people at higher risk of developing a severe illness, including seniors aged 65 or older, children aged 6 and under, and people are who immunocompromised, will not be allowed to work right away even though they can venture outside.
According to the WDA, caregivers serving people in high-risk groups must stay in a quarantine hotel or dormitory and not in their employer’s home during the self-initiated epidemic prevention period.
For foreign caregivers who have registered and provided a doctor’s order proving that their patients are not at high risk before entering the country, employers and labor brokers can arrange for them to stay in hotels, dormitories, or the employer’s own homes.
They are allowed to go out and work if they test negative on a rapid antigen test in the two previous days.
Employers’ responsibility
For employers who arrange for their caregivers to stay in a quarantine hotel during the self-initiated prevention period, the government will provide half of the daily accommodation expense, up to a maximum of NT$1,250 (US$39.54) per day, Tsai said.
Tsai also said employers must assist their workers in seeking medical treatment if they are diagnosed with COVID-19, and should immediately file a report on the MOL’s foreign labor care website.
The employer must also pay their workers’ salary for the seven days during which they are forced to observe the self-initiated epidemic prevention period in Taiwan, Tsai said.
According to statistics from February to September, Taiwan saw roughly 130,000 migrant workers arrive in Taiwan, of which 115,000 were in Taiwan to work in the industrial sector, while 15,000 were in the caregiving field.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel