Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat has inspected a known hotel in Taguig City to assess its implementation of health protocols for the possible gathering of visitors.
Before entering the hotel, a contact tracing form must be filled out and temperature must be checked. An antigen test is also done to visitors before being allowed to book a room. A free safety kit that includes alcohol and face masks is available inside the room.
Facemasks and face shields are required in public areas of the hotel. Public areas are often being disinfected.
DOT Sec. Puyat is aware of qualms raised by some sectors on the opening of hotels. She insisted that “safety and health will always be a top priority but we have to restart the economy.”
The Tourism department has recorded around 4.8 million employees from the tourism sector affected by the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Meanwhile, the department has disclosed that the Inter-Agency Task Force on Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) has not allowed the opening of several hotels that were used as isolation facilities. The medical experts of the IATF-EID have rejected their opening due to possible threats it may pose on the public’s health. However, Sec. Puyat has stated that they can open the hotels if “they can come up with their doctors, infectious disease doctors to say that it is safe.”
In relation to this, the DOT has given a Certificate of Authority to operate for staycation to 10 hotels in Metro Manila:
1. Grand Hyatt
2. Makati Shangri-La
3. Okada
4. Shangri-La at the Fort
5. Nobu Hotel
6. Joy Nostalg Hotel and Suites
7. EDSA Shangri-La
8. Solaire
9. Hyatt Regency
10. Nuwa
Report from Bea Bernardo
