Hoteliers are hard at work putting safety measures in place to protect staff and guests from Covid-19 as they prepare to reopen to tourists.
On Saturday, Tourism Minister Charles Fernandez and Permanent Secretary Walter Christopher visited the Hammock Cove Resort and Spa and met with manager Rosario Soler to hear more about the work underway.
Hammock Cove comes under the Elite Island Resorts umbrella which also includes Galley Bay Resort, Verandah, Pineapple Beach Club and St James Club.
Plans in the pipeline include providing guests with face masks and a disinfectant kit in their rooms, socially-distanced dining, and scheduling activities at different times during the week to avoid large gatherings while ensuring all guests can take part.
All frontline staff will have their temperature checked daily upon arrival to work. Facilities are in place for employees to change into their uniform upon arrival to work and shower upon leaving.
Soler said while the coronavirus continues to impact the hotel industry, before the resorts welcome guests back, managers will ensure that every bedroom, dining area, bar, pool, spa and gym are thoroughly cleaned and sanitised.
“We are depending on the ministries of health and tourism to provide us with additional protocols to help us get all of Elite Island Resorts in a state of readiness,” she said.
Minister Fernandez said he was pleased with the measures being adopted by the company. Within the next few weeks, the ministries will finalise protocols to guide tourism industry operators going forward.
All properties will be inspected by a team of government officials before they can officially open for business.
Samoya Kirby, from the Ministry of Tourism, confirmed that the resorts had no set date for reopening yet. Much will hinge on when international commercial flights return.