COMMON facilities, such as gymnasiums, swimming pools, prayer rooms, saunas, spas, business centres, conference halls and meeting rooms cannot be used under Sarawak’s green light for hotels and lodging houses to resume operations amid the Covid-19 outbreak.

Operations are also still a flat “no” for hotels gazetted as Covid-19 quarantine stations. This will only be lifted after their status as quarantine centres has been revoked by gazette notification.

State Tourism, Culture and Arts Minister Abdul Karim Hamzah, in announcing this today, added that hotel buffets are still banned under standard operating procedures (SOP) in the ongoing fight against the pandemic.

However, dine-in services at hotel restaurants are allowed, but subject to social-distancing rules concerning seating arrangements.

Other requirements include social distancing between guests and providing hand sanitisers.

Use of masks by employees and guests must be ensured at alI times, Karim added.

“All safety and health directives and SOPs of the health authorities must be strictly complied with,” he said. 

This includes a ban on guests gathering or assembling anywhere in the hotel’s premises during their stay.

He said, preferably, they are to remain in their rooms.

Karim said hotel management must also report to the Health Department if they discover that any staff member or guest is infected with Covid-19 without delay. – May 13, 2020.