Migrant domestic workers arriving in Taiwan from Jan. 1 no longer need to quarantine at a designated facility for one week if their employers can offer them a private room with a bathroom attached, the Ministry of Labor said yesterday.
Currently, all incoming home-based migrant workers need to undergo one week of mandatory quarantine at a designated hotel or dormitory.
New regulations to take effect on Jan. 1 allow arriving domestic workers to begin work during their self-health management period if they have a private bedroom and bathroom, and test negative for COVID-19 each day, said Paul Su (蘇裕國), head of the ministry’s Workforce Development Agency’s Cross-Border Workforce Management Division.
Photo: CNA
The current rule was enacted to protect high-risk individuals, who are more likely to hire migrant domestic workers, Su said.
However, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases among migrant workers entering Taiwan has not been significant, Su said.
Also taking effect the same day is a three-day pre-employment training program for newly arriving domestic workers, Su said.
Currently, newcomers receive a 30-minute course at the arrival airport regarding local laws and workers’ rights.
Domestic workers arriving in Taiwan are to be taken to facilities in Taoyuan or Kaohsiung to receive an eight-hour orientation with free accommodation, after which their employer or labor broker can take them to their place of employment, Su said.
For employers and brokerages, the service covers applications for employment permits, Alien Resident Certificates (ARCs), National Health Insurance (NHI) and occupational accident insurance.
Migrant domestic workers are to receive their ARC and NHI cards shortly after completing the course, a process that currently takes about six weeks.
As migrant domestic workers are to spend their first two nights in Taiwan at the orientation facility, only five more nights of self-health management are required at their employers’ residence or at a quarantine facility if there is no private bedroom and bathroom.
The new regulation is to begin with migrant caretakers and other domestic helpers, with plans to expand it to all migrant workers after a period of evaluation, the ministry said.
As of Nov 30, there were 725,367 migrant workers in Taiwan, ministry data showed.
Also starting on Jan. 1, foreigners who do not have an NHI card and are diagnosed with COVID-19 must pay for their isolation and medical fees.
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