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“These are unique times when there are so many changes,” LMRA CEO Ausamah Al Absi told GDN yesterday.
“We have now opened up the hiring of domestic workers from certain countries that operate airlines to Bahrain and their nationals have consular access.”
Mr. Al Absi explained that, like other travelers entering the country, domestic workers would have to undergo a Covid-19 test upon arrival at Bahrain International Airport, and another exit swab test after 10 days. .
“The labor agency will be responsible for defraying the cost of the Covid-19 testing for the employee and further ensuring that it is kept in a suitable location until the test results are released.
“We anticipate that there will be adjustments to cover the months in which recruitment was suspended. We are ready to help everyone, ”said the official.
Mr. Al Absi urged the public to deal only with the 74 licensed labor agencies rather than the rogue hiring companies, including those that provide hourly domestic worker services.
GDN reported that more than 100 labor agencies voluntarily stopped hiring new skilled and semi-skilled workers in April.
Meanwhile, the president of the Bahrain Recruitment Society, Aqeel Al Mahari, said they will strictly abide by the regulations set by the authorities when they resume hiring new domestic workers.
“We have asked all hiring companies to adhere to these measures, which include isolating the domestic worker in a separate room with a bathroom or even a hotel room until the test results are published,” said Mr. Al Mahari to the GDN.
“The employment offices will bear the cost of the tests, quarantine or isolation of the worker upon arrival.”
If an employer decides to take a domestic worker home after testing negative for Covid-19, they must commit in writing to quarantine them in a separate room with a private bathroom.
The regulations further stipulate that the employer must also take the worker for a second examination on the specified date.
However, if the worker tests positive, medical protocol must be followed, and the labor agency will assume all responsibilities and costs until the patient recovers.
“We have received a lot of applications for domestic workers because many expatriates left the country in recent months and now there is a high demand among households to fill those positions,” said Al Mahari.
“We all want to make sure the hiring process is smooth and safe, especially during Covid-19, to protect businesses, employers and the worker.”
Bahrain has eased Covid-19 restrictions in recent months and just last week the Office of Nationality, Passport and Residency Affairs (NPRA) announced the resumption of issuance of arrival visas for citizens of 68 countries at ports of Bahrain.
An “air bubble” deal was finalized earlier this week between India and Bahrain to operate flights in a regulated manner amid travel restrictions due to Covid-19.
The concept came about when nations felt the need to ensure the free flow of goods and people while keeping the pandemic under control.
LMRA statistics for the second quarter of last year showed that Bahraini households reduced their dependence on domestic workers, as the total number recorded in this segment reached 86,349 (including 63,203 women) compared to 91,852 in the same quarter of 2018, a decrease of five percent.
It was the lowest since the fourth quarter of 2011, when the total number of domestic workers in the country stood at 87,420.
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