When the global pandemic reached Hong Kong, the once busy streets in Chater Road became quiet. Domestic workers were not allowed to go out and were forced to work longer hours, including Sundays, as their employers were working at home. Others had their contracts arbitrarily terminated.
“It is ironic because they said they will make health care a priority and that this is the leading agenda of this administration. But until now, there is still no portfolio, no health secretary. That remains a big vacuum.”
The Filipino nurses continue to call for the release of the remaining allowances, salary hikes for health workers, and the priority of the health sector under Marcos Jr.’s administration. This was after their initial victory of the promised COVID-19 health allowances approved by the Department of Budget and Management.
…[t]he task of shaping the “new normal” should come from the actions of the people; it should be the outcome of our political organizing. We should claim the narrative of the “new normal” in order to reclaim our right to enjoy a better future.
How can we go on duty if we, workers, could hardly breathe?
The Alliance of Health Workers said health workers are human beings who need enough rest when they are tired and sick.
Sa isang makabuluhang pag-aaral sa kasaysayan ng mga pandemya, sinabi ng historyador na si William H. McNeill sa Plagues and Peoples (1976) na makabuluhan ang papel na ginagampanan ng pagkalat ng mga nakahahawang sakit sa kinahinatnan ng mga kalagayang panlipunan. Ang pangkapangyarihan at panlipunang pagbabagong idinulot ng sabay-sabay at malawakang pagkakasakit ng malaking bilang ng…
Well thought-out, pro-active policies based on informed and rigorous analysis could have helped the country navigate the treacherous waters of the pandemic from its very onset in 2020. The need for them was especially evident during the last quarter of 2021, as well as at the present time. But they are precisely what were and are still missing in the far from strategic and purely reactive government response to the pandemic.
“Almost all of the expenses were taken from our savings. Aside from this, it is taking a constant toll on our mental wellbeing especially since we have to think about our work and studies during the [supposed] recovery period.”
“We need to strengthen our public health system. We can do this through the implementation of a free, comprehensive, and progressive public health system in the country.”
The Department of Education is being urged to implement an academic health break for both teachers and students in areas where there is a surge in COVID-19 cases.