20 ILC110/III/(B) – Securing decent work for nursing personnel and domestic workers, key actors in the care economy Introduction 13. The ILO estimates that, as of June 2020, at least 72.3 per cent of domestic workers have been significantly affected by the pandemic in terms of their health and working conditions.16 Domestic workers have been particularly vulnerable to exposure to COVID-19, often lacking adequate access to personal protective equipment (PPE), and to health services and social protection in the event of infection.17 Physical distancing is difficult, if not impossible, for many domestic workers due to the nature of their work in family households, particularly where their duties include the provision of personal care for ill, elderly or disabled family members. The risk of exposure to the virus is higher for domestic workers who are employed by multiple households. 14. During the pandemic, many migrant live-in domestic workers were summarily dismissed by their employers due to fear of infection, and many were left on the streets to fend for themselves, frequently with no means of returning to their home countries.18 In contrast, other migrant live-in domestic workers were forbidden to leave their employers’ homes, and as a result were often required to work excessive hours, while being unable to take leave or dispose freely of their rest time.19 Overall, domestic workers, both nationals and migrants, have been severely affected by the pandemic, which has exacerbated existing problems, including poor working conditions, violence and abuse.20 X III. Reports received by region 15. The Committee notes that 115 Member States have provided reports on the position of national law and practice in relation to matters addressed in the instruments examined in the General Survey: 25 reports from Africa, 23 from the Americas, 6 from the Arab States, 21 from Asia and the Pacific and 40 from Europe and Central Asia.21 Full details on the reports due and received are set out in Appendix II. According to its usual practice, the Committee has also taken into account the observations submitted by 14 employers’ and 135 workers’ organizations. This list is set out in Appendix III. X IV. Ratifications 16. Convention No. 149 came into force on 11 July 1979. To date, it has been ratified by 41 Member States, most recently by El Salvador on 30 January 2013. 17. Convention No. 189 came into force on 5 September 2013. It has been ratified by 35 Member States. In the preceding four years, Convention No. 189 has been ratified by 11 countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Brazil, Grenada, Madagascar, Malta, Mexico, Namibia, Norway, Peru, Sierra Leone and Sweden. 16 ILO (2020). “Impact of the COVID-19 Crisis on Loss of Jobs and Hours among Domestic Workers ”, 15 June 2020. 17 ILO (2021). Promoting employment and decent work in a changing landscape , Addendum to the General Survey, International Labour Conference, 109th Session, Geneva, para. 66. 18 Bahar Makooi and Sam Ball (2020). “Abandoned by Employers, Ethiopian Domestic Workers are Dumped on Lebanon’s Streets”, France24 (video), 25 June 2020. 19 ILO (2021). Promoting employment and decent work in a changing landscape, Addendum to the General Survey, op. cit., Part VI, paras 266–270. 20 ibid. 21 The Committee examined a total of 142 Government reports: 115 initial reports and 26 supplementary reports.