Deputy Minister of Tourism Savvas Perdios has issued a call to hoteliers to accommodate Cypriots to be repatriated in the coming days and will need to be quarantined for 14 days as part of the measures to prevent the spread of Coronavirus, the CNA reports.
Perdios said that a framework of collaboration with the ministry has already been circulated to hotel associations for the provision of services to the government, which stipulates that each guest is to remain in their room and the hotel will provide them with services like three meals a day and fresh sheets and towels every four days to be deposited outside their door.
“This is a critical moment for the country and hoteliers are called to respond,” he said.
At the same time he called on hotel staff to respond to the call of their employers and clarified that the guests will not be sick people but our co-citizens who found themselves stranded abroad and need to be isolated for preventive reasons. He said that the possibility of guests to be found positive to Coronavirus is low as they will have been subjected to checks at the airport demonstrating they are healthy, while they are also required to carry a certificate from competent labs from the departure country as per the relevant instructions issued by the Ministry of Health.
Cleaning products would also be provided to the guests to clean their own rooms to limit contact with others. The aim, Perdios said, it to ensure good living conditions for the repatriated while ensuring the safety of employees.
He also said that the line 1420 will be at the hotels’ disposal should any of the guests present symptoms.
As regards remuneration to hoteliers, Perdios said it will be lower compared to normal earnings had hotels been open but notes that this should be considered as an act of social responsibility requested of hoteliers at a critical time for the country.
He also called on the guests-to-be to follow quarantine rules and not leave their rooms to wander in hotel premises.Â
Responding to a question, he said that the ministry is currently in talks mostly with three-star hotels but does not exclude the possibility of high end hotels expressing interest.
“We have already had hotel reach out to us, but we need more support, both from hoteliers and hotel staff to be able to repatriate more people,” he stated, “and for that we need to be prepared.”
Read more:
https://in-cyprus.com/coronavirus-cypriots-awaiting-repatriation-found-refuge-in-london-hotels/
