KUCHING: Hotels which have been gazetted as Covid-19 quarantine centres are not allowed to check in new guests as yet unless their status as a quarantine base has been revoked by a gazette notification, said Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
He said that with effect from May 12, during the conditional movement control order (CMCO), all hotels and lodging houses in Sarawak were allowed to open for business as long as the aforementioned condition is met by the relevant hotels.
“Common facilities such as gymnasium, swimming pools, prayer rooms, sauna, spa, business centres, conference halls, and meeting rooms are not allowed to be used,” he said at the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) Covid-19 press conference at the old State Legislative Assembly (DUN) building in Petra Jaya yesterday.
He said that restaurants and cafeterias in hotels were allowed to operate from 7am to 10pm for takeaway, delivery, room service, and a la carte dine-in only — no buffet meals are allowed.
“The dine-in is subject to the requirements of social distancing in seating arrangements,” he said.
He stressed that guests in the hotels were to remain in their respective rooms and not allowed to gather or assemble anywhere in the hotel’s premises during their stay.
“The management of the hotels must ensure appropriate social distancing between guests and provide necessary hand sanitisers.
“The use of appropriate masks by employees and guests must be ensured at all times. All safety and health directives and standard operating procedures (SOPs) of the health authorities must be strictly complied with,” said Abdul Karim.
He added that the management of the hotels has to report to the Health Department without delay on any staff or guests who have been infected with Covid-19.
A copy of the frequently-asked-questions (FAQ) on ‘Hotel Operation during CMCO’ is available for download at mtac.sarawak.gov.my.
