[Commentary] A few days ago, the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, announced that the gathering restriction order would be tightened to two people, and stressed that the group of foreign domestic helpers should no longer gather.

As the epidemic continues to be severe, the living conditions of ethnic minorities in Hong Kong have attracted much attention.

  [Explanation] As the one with the largest population of ethnic minorities among the 18 districts in Hong Kong, the population of ethnic minorities in Yau Tsim Mong District of Hong Kong has now reached more than 30,000.

Yu Jianqiang, Commissioner of Yau Tsim Mong District Affairs of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, said in an interview with a reporter from China News Agency that in recent days, the outbreak of epidemics in many ethnic minority areas such as Chungking Mansions in the district is worrying.

Due to the complex population distribution in the district, in the process of supporting the fight against the epidemic, they will seek assistance from relevant institutions and social organizations, distribute medical supplies to ethnic minorities, and publicize epidemic prevention norms.

  [Concurrent] Yu Jianqiang, District Commissioner of Yau Tsim Mong, Hong Kong SAR Government

  Because we are in Yau Tsim Mong, we are the most ethnic minority in the 18 districts of Hong Kong (District 1).

We have a Yau Tsim Mong Multicultural Centre in Jordan.

We will try our best to invite them to help, whether in terms of information or materials, they can also help distribute.

Try to get relevant information, materials, and resources to reach minority friends.

  [Explanation] As a charitable organization serving ethnic minorities, the Hong Kong Empathy Charity Fund has also done a lot to support the fight against the epidemic under the fifth wave of the epidemic.

Huang Yinghong, the founder of the agency, said in an interview with a reporter from China News Agency that the epidemic is severe, most restaurants and service establishments have been closed, and ethnic minorities are facing the dual dilemma of unemployment and virus infection.

To this end, the organization organized dozens of volunteer teams to provide support for this group.

  [Concurrent] Huang Yinghong, founder of Hong Kong Empathy Charity Fund

  In fact, the fifth wave of the epidemic has come very quickly and intensively during the New Year. In fact, I think the most important group to help them is actually unemployment and some lack of (anti-epidemic) materials.

Our volunteer team, our smallest team is 20 to 30 people.

Sometimes there are 70 or 80 people who help (volunteers).

  [Explanation] Also the founder of the organization, Bai Junda, an Indian-born Hong Konger, empathizes with the difficult situation of some ethnic minorities under the epidemic.

In the past few days, he has also been committed to helping the foreign domestic helper group solve the problem of temporary boarding after contracting the epidemic.

  [Concurrent] Bai Junda, co-founder of Hong Kong Empathy Charity Fund

  Some Filipino domestic helpers were tested and found to be infected with the virus, and their employers told them not to go home, but to find a place to stay outside.

I know a lot of (Filipino maids) who will go back to the boarding center, and will not return to the employer's house to work until the next time they go to the test and the result is not positive.

Some (Filipino maids) really lingered on the streets in the rain.

We know this is the case with a large number of Filipino maids.

For example, we will find some (boarding) places for them, because we know some people who do some small hotels, and we will communicate with them to help them (Filipino maids) how to get through this difficult time.

  [Explanation] In Bai Junda's view, current language problems and lack of information are the biggest obstacles faced by ethnic minorities in fighting the epidemic.

To this end, he and his colleagues have used various methods to popularize the new anti-epidemic regulations and knowledge to ethnic minorities, calling on them to take preventive measures and tide over the difficulties together.

  [Concurrent] Bai Junda, co-founder of Hong Kong Empathy Charity Fund

  In fact, we all went to publicize, and we told them not to gather together, not to have more than two people.

In fact, there are many Filipino workers who cannot receive this information.

Because you know they are working from (the employer's) home, they may not necessarily have access to the outside world, or they may not necessarily watch the news in Hong Kong.

We will distribute different leaflets in different languages, and even communicate with them (ethnic minorities) in the social software group, because some of them cannot read English, we will call on them to get tested as soon as possible and go out less , wear a mask, do your own hygiene, and get an injection as soon as possible if you don't have an injection.

  Reporter Fan Siyi and Luo Siyu report from Hong Kong

Responsible editor: [Luo Pan]