HONG KONG — Hong Kong on Tuesday scrapped a plan to make coronavirus vaccines mandatory for foreign domestic workers after the proposal sparked an outcry and a diplomatic tussle with the Philippines.
Health officials planned to roll out mandatory inoculations for the 370,000 domestic workers in the city, mostly poorly paid women from the Philippines and Indonesia.
Those wanting to apply for work visas — or renew their current ones — would need to show they had received two doses.
But on Tuesday city leader Carrie Lam announced a U-turn.
“The government has decided not to request mandatory vaccination when helpers renew their contracts,” she said, adding the …
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